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SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 



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SAMUEL TRAIN 
BUTTON 



A Biography 



BY 

CHARLES HERBERT LEVERMORE 



i^etD gorfe 
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

1922 

All rights reserved 



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'V'^ 



COPYRIGHT, 1922, 

By the MACMILLAN COMPANY. 



Set up and Printed. Published October, 1922. 



.2.-2^^^ 



NOV 16 '22 

CUG90216 



DEDICATION 

TO 

Cornelia North Dutton, 
always the devoted helpmate and faithful 
counselor of her husband, whose untiring 
labor and sympathetic assistance have 
made possible this tribute to his memory. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

My thanks for help rendered are first of all due to the 
surviving members of Mr. Button's immediate family, 
who, by entrusting to me the preparation of this memoir, 
have honored me with a confidence beyond my desert, and 
who have given to me unrestricted access to all the perti- 
nent materials in their possession. Reminiscences, ar- 
ranged with much patient labor by Mrs. Button, have 
been naturally my chief storehouse of authoritative 
information, and the admirable sketch of Mr. Button's 
life, written by Br. Frederick Lynch and published in 
Christian Work, has given me an invaluable clew to 
follow through the maze of years. 

Together with these, I should mention with a special 
acknowledgment of obligation Miss Susanne Robbins and 
Mrs. Georgia (Howard) Wilkins, who while not, strictly 
speaking, members of the family, were at sundry times 
inmates of the Button household. 

I am also indebted for valuable assistance to two of Mr. 
Button's classmates. Rev. Br. John P. Peters, of New 
York and the University of the South, and Mr. Frederick 
J. Shepard, class-secretary of Yale, '73; to Br. Maurice 
Francis Egan, who was United States Minister to Ben- 
mark when Mr. Button last visited Scandinavia ; to Mrs. 
Julia Carroll of Boscawen, N. H. ; to Mr. B. S. Sanford, 
of Redding Ridge, Conn. ; to Mrs. J. E. Toulmin and Miss 
Rose Standish Nichols, of Boston; to Mrs. Eleanor L. 
Humphrey, of Boston and also of Hillsborough, N. H. j 

vii 



viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

to Rev. Dr. James L. Barton, of the American Board of 
Commissioners for Foreign Missions; to Bishop E. S. 
Lines, of Newark, N. J., and to Mr. Cleveland H. Dodge 
and Mr. Hamilton Holt, of New York City ; to President 
Mary Mills Patrick, of Constantinople College ; Professor 
James F. Colby, of Dartmouth College, and Professor 
Paul Monroe, of Columbia University; to Messrs. Virgil 
Prettyman and Henry C. Pearson, also Miss Caroline W. 
Hotchkiss, all of whom were associated with Mr. Dutton 
in the Horace Mann School ; and to Miss Susan Olmstead, 
Secretary in the New York office of Constantinople 
College. 

To all these and to others who have helped me, I tender 
my heartiest thanks for the generous cooperation which 
has permitted me to weave together so many contributions 
of affectionate remembrance in this life-story of their 
friend and mine. 

Chaeles H. Leveemoee. 
October 15, 1921. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Boyhood and Education, 1849-1873 . . 1 

11. First Professional Experience. School 
Management in South Norwalk, New 
Haven and Brookline, 1873-1900 . . 20 
III. College Work and International Affairs, 

1900-1914 61 

IV. Last Days, 1914-1919 153 

V. The Memorial Meeting April 24, 1919 . 216 
VI. Additional Tributes From Friends and 

Colleagues .... .... 250 

Appendix: List of Mr. Button's More Im- 
portant Publications 278 



IX 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Samuel Train Dutton Frontispiece 

OPPOSITE PACK 

Rebecca Hammond Train 4$ 

The Dutton Homestead 5 

The Yale College Glee Club, 1873 16 

Mr. Dutton at Graduation, 1873 17 

The Dutton Family, and Three Pictures of Mr. 

Dutton in Youth, circ. 1861, 1867, and 1869 . 24 

Mr. Dutton as Superintendent of Schools in New 

Haven, Conn 25 

Executive Committee of the First National Peace 

Congress 84 

Executive Committee, Continued 85 

Mr. Dutton at His Home in Hartsdale, N. Y., with 

a Company of Chinese and Japanese Students . 162 

Near East Relief Welcomes Ambassador Morgen- 

thau Home 163 



SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

CHAPTER I 

BOYHOOD AND EDUCATION 

1849—1873 

This is the story of a good man and useful citizen whose 
life was always a progress, and whose horizons were always 
widening. The world upon which he opened his eyes was 
the narrow circle of a rural farming community in the New 
Hampshire town of Hillsborough, and the exact center of 
that world for him then was the rocky farm, one mile and 
a half from the village, which was the homestead of at 
least three generations of Duttons.^ 

His father, Jeremiah Dutton, was a man of granite 
character, like the soil that nourished him. The same 
house and farm sheltered and supported him from his 
birth to death. His one and only divergence from Hills- 
borough was in his early manhood when for six months he 
tried the life of a clerk in Boston. He was strongly Whig 
and Republican in politics, and strictly orthodox accord- 
ing to the profession of the Congregational Church, in 
which he was for a long time a deacon. 

1 The original seat of the Buttons (=Dunton=:Hilltown) is in 
Cheshire, England. The first Dutton immigrant to New England, 
1630, lived first in Woburn and afterwards settled permanently in 
Billerica, Mass., from whence his descendants went to New Hamp- 
shire, Vermont and other states. Jeremiah Button's father was also 
Jeremiah, and the maiden name of his mother was Betsy Baker. 

1 



2 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Like so many of his Puritan ancestors Deacon Button's 
best powers were continually devoted to the duty of 
justifying the ways of God to Man. Like other Puritans 
whose gaze was fearfully fixed upon the invisible world, he 
felt sure that he saw the straight and narrow way thither, 
but was harassed by the same dread that oppressed the 
Apostle, lest he himself should be a castaway. 

He was a pattern of punctuality and constancy in his 
attendance at religious services in his church, and even 
in the midst of haying he would not miss a Thursday after- 
noon prayer-meeting. 

He tried to hold not only himself but his neighbors to a 
rigid standard of conformity with the Puritan ideal of 
word and deed, and was quick to censure sharply what 
seemed to him any variation from the standard. Although 
he was taciturn and unsocial, he was admired for his integ- 
rity. His judgments were heard and his few words 
carried weight. The little community admitted that his 
strictures were right, and liked him none the better for 
that. Few people came to his house as visitors, and his 
manner never invited familiarity. Everyone in town 
respected him and, outside of his own household, none 
loved him. 

And yet at the age of eighty years, after a long life of 
brooding over the teachings of his faith and of austere 
fidelity to every jot and tittle of the law, he approached 
the end of life in uncertainty and apprehension, and in 
evident mental anguish said to a young member of his 
household, "Pm not sure that Pm saved." 

It goes without saying that he and all his family were 
hard workers. The Button farm was deemed a model. 



BOYHOOD AND EDUCATION 3 

famous for its butter and its fruits. Deacon Dutton 
raised thirty varieties of grapes, his apple sauce and 
maple sugar were famous far and near, and his maple 
sugar received a medal at the Centennial Exposition. 

Underneath the severe moralist and the silent farmer, 
there were other natures, partly restrained or suppressed. 
He was fond of flowers and always had some around the 
house. Unlike so many farmers of his day, he always 
liked to read, and was fairly well informed, although he 
seldom talked about his reading. He had a Boston paper 
in the house, and such weeklies as the Mirror and 
Farmer and the Congregationalist. He greatly enjoyed 
the magazines which his oldest son, when adult, used to 
send home for his use. He loved music of all kinds. He 
was a singer, and in the days before organs supplanted 
orchestral music in the churches, he played bass-viol in 
the choir. All his family sang, and hymn-singing was a 
feature of the daily family prayers. There were, then, 
aesthetic qualities within this man's soul, which might 
have made him more sympathetic and companionable if 
his cramping beliefs had not done so much to induce 
doubt and distrust of emotions not closely associated 
with his accepted plan of salvation. 

The best evidence of Deacon Dutton's inherent worth is 
to be found not in the rather chill esteem with which his 
neighbors rendered homage to his character, but in the 
fact that two good women, to whom at different periods 
he was united in marriage, were devoted to him and 
admired and loved him. 

His first wife, with whom alone we are here concerned, 
was Rebecca Hammond Train, daughter of Ephraim 



4 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Train, farmer in Hillsborough, and his wife, Lucy Lewis. 
The marriage of Rebecca and Jeremiah took place on 
February 20, 1840. Rebecca Train's family belonged to 
the old Yankee stock, springing from John Train, who 
came to the Bay Colony in 1635, and made a home at 
Watertown. In the course of years the Trains had 
acquired also a root in the same hill country of New 
Hampshire as the Buttons. This was not the only 
alliance between the two families, as the name of the well- 
known writer, Mrs. Adeline Button Train Whitney, indi- 
cates. Mrs. Whitney, whose home was at Milton, Mass., 
spent her summers in Hillsborough, and always visited the 
Buttons. A sister of Rebecca Train was married to a 
Mr. Baker, and lived upon a farm in Hillsborough near 
the Buttons. 

Rebecca Train was an admirable helpmeet for Jeremiah 
Button; she was in many respects his complement. In 
her own way she was probably as deeply religious and 
devoted to her church as he was, but her disposition was 
gentle, generous and sympathetic. Her mental powers 
gave her insight into the character of the people around 
her. She caught some vision of the forces at play in the 
larger world outside of Hillsborough, and nursed ambi- 
tions for her children which were undoubtedly projections 
of her own unfulfilled desires. The children grew toward 
the warmth of the motherly spirit, which may have even 
imparted a glow to the sterner virtues of their father. 
Rebecca Train's face bore the impression of beauty as 
well as dignity, and all but one of the children resembled 
their mother physically. Not one of them reproduced 
both her bodily features and her mental and spiritual 
characteristics more faithfully and completely than her 



■ ^'-■'r-ir-tiis^rtfattiiPasfaiff!; 




Rebecca Hammond Train, 
Mother of Samuel Train Dutton. 



BOYHOOD AND EDUCATION 5 

eldest child and son, who was born at Hillsborough, Octo- 
ber 16, 1849, and was christened Samuel Train Dutton.^ 

All of the children promptly learned that they had come 
into a little universe ruled by inflexible law. If any one 
of them showed signs of a possible habit of disobedience, 
it has not been recorded in the family annals. A big shade 
tree in the yard was the children's playhouse. Their 
games were always under it, and they never supposed that 
they could either take or leave their outdoor toys any- 
where else. Deacon Dutton did not approve of any unnec- 
essary noise. Not only obedience, but quiet was the 
Median-Persian law of the family, and visitors in the early 
days marveled that they never heard sounds of juvenile 
disturbance at Deacon Dutton's. 

At the time of this writing a lady is still living who, as 
Miss Georgia Howard, was a teacher in the Hillsborough 
schools in 1863 and for eight years thereafter. She often 
made her home in the Dutton household, and became 
seamstress and mother's helper for Mrs. Dutton and like 
an elder sister to the younger children. She says, "It was 
an ideal family. I never received a disrespectful word 
from any one of the children, who were always courteous 
to everybody." 

As Samuel and his brothers grew older, they were taught 
the third law of the farm, which was work. It was not 
easy to wrest a living from that rocky soil, and all of the 
family must become inured to long and hard labor. The 
older Dutton was willing to have his boys become farm- 

1 There were five other children: Silas Baker; Ephraim, who died 
in infancy; Justin Edwards, known as "Ed"; Jeremiah Hammond; 
Mary Gertrude, who married George W. Haslet of Hillsborough, 
and died about a year later. All of the brothers are now dead. 
Before any of these children was born, Mr. and Mrs. Dutton had 
adopted a boy named Frank, who went into the Civil War as a sol- 
dier, and who is still living. 



6 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

ers, and the oldest son became naturally the farmer's first 
reliance. Samuel followed the routine of the farmer's 
year, and learned to break not only clods, but also colts 
and steers, still more intractable material. Such experi- 
ences are indeed a training school in which to learn 
courage and confidence, the mastery of one's self and also 
of other wills, the readiness to face and overcome any 
obstacle in the path. 

The widest outlook which the children knew from the 
household cares into the larger life of the world was that 
of religion, the constant thought of both their parents. 
The whole family were, of course, constant attendants at 
the church, which Samuel joined at an early age. Their 
second contact with the finer arts lay in the talent for 
music and love for it, common to them all, from the father 
to the baby. In early youth Samuel would walk a mile 
and a half to hear a young lady, a summer resident in 
Hillsborough, play upon the piano, and later, as his own 
fine voice developed, he learned to sing with her.^ 

About half a mile from the Dutton farm, on the road 
to Hillsborough Center, stands the little district school- 
house, where the children from the farm all began their 
education. That Samuel was naturally studious and able 
to make his way in the world his mother perceived and 
believed. She was eager to help and encourage him in an 
aspiration for a career, which at first seems to have taken 
the form of an ambition to enter the ministry. While 
Deacon Dutton hoped that Samuel would follow his father 
and grandfather on the ancestral acres, the mother under- 
stood the lad better, and talked and planned about send- 
ing him to school and college. 

After the resources of the small district school at home 

1 The young lady was Miss Eleanor L. Gilbert, afterwards Mrs. 
William Humphrey. 



BOYHOOD AND EDUCATION 7 

had been exhausted, the family found means to give 
Samuel a winter's schooling in an academy at Frances- 
town ten miles away. His next step was to take charge 
of a district school at Cork Plains, in Hillsborough, to 
test his knowledge and character and to earn some money. 
Barely seventeen years of age and a novice in teaching, he 
faced pupils, some of whom had planned to remove him 
from his position on the first day of school. But he was 
alert and tactful, and his muscles had been well tested in 
wrestling with steers, so that he was soon acknowledged 
to be master of the situation and order reigned in the 
Cork Plains schoolhouse. During that term he went 
through that historic experience of the rural teacher 
known as "boarding round." 

During the following summer Samuel aided his father 
as usual in the farm work. But there came a day, no 
doubt a hot one, when the youth, at work in the field, 
ended his troubled cogitations with the firm resolve, "I 
am not going to farm it all my life ; I am going to college." 
So he put the farming tools aside as often as possible, and 
betook himself to books and study, determined to continue 
his education in the fall in the New London Literary and 
Scientific Institution, at New London, N. H., about twenty 
miles away. Subsequently this school was called Colby 
Academy. His unfailing confidante and counselor, his 
mother, joyfully sustained him in his plans, and, in the 
family councils, cast the deciding vote that Samuel should 
prepare for college. Father Dutton agreed to "give hira 
his time," although he still harbored the hope that his son 
after a year at New London would change his mind and 
return to carry on the farm. 

In the fall of 1867 the lad, not yet quite eighteen years 
old, betook himself to the Literary and Scientific Insti- 



8 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

tution, and began the studies preparatory for admission 
to Dartmouth College. The village of New London strag- 
gles up to the crest of a noble hill, of which the academy 
building and grounds occupy the summit. A splendid view 
of hill and dale extends to the horizon in every direction, 
and just across the valley to the southeast rises the impos- 
ing bulk of Mt. Kearsarge. The lesson of that scenery was 
not the least inspiring of those set before the pupils in 
that academy. 

Among the boys whom Dutton came to know as class- 
mates was one Clarence F. Carroll, a kind of human 
Kearsarge, an earnest, bright, forceful, and serious-minded 
fellow. His high ideals appealed to Dutton and they 
became staunch friends. As time went on, their friendship 
became so deeply rooted that they were like brothers. 
Each one exerted a strong influence upon the other, and 
the mutual attraction and respect remained unbroken 
except by death. 

Dutton did not find his work easy, handicapped as he 
was by deficiencies in his preliminary education. He held 
his own, however, with time to spare for such social 
opportunities as came his way. His extremely sociable 
disposition made the most of these opportunities, besides 
creating others — not a difiicult matter, as Colby Academy 
was — and is — coeducational. 

During the winter of 1867-68, his best friend and con- 
stant inspiration, his mother, who had for some time suf- 
fered from an incurable ailment that would bring death 
by a sudden stroke, was prostrated and died. Shortly 
before her last hour came, Samuel, at New London, feel- 
ing that her life was to be short and that he must see her 
as often as possible, came home unexpectedly to spend a 
week-end. Miss Howard (later Mrs. Wilkins), in attend- 



BOYHOOD AND EDUCATION 9 

ance upon Mrs. Dutton, chanced to see the young man 
entering the yard, and, thinking to avert a possible shock 
to the mother, said to her, "What would you think if you 
should see Sam coming in?" Mrs. Dutton with complete 
calmness answered, "I think it very likely that he may 
come," and a moment afterwards she was ready to greet 
him. Later, as he stood by her bedside, she said to him, 
"You are the oldest of the children and you know all that 
I desire for them. I want you to see that they all have 
an education. Remember that your sister Mary will espe- 
cially need your care." This sister was then only five 
years old. Samuel promised that he would do everything 
that she asked, and he faithfully kept his word. 

The death of his mother, although foreseen, filled 
Samuel with a deep and increasing sense of the loss that 
had befallen him. Throughout his life he never failed to 
acknowledge his debt to her unselfish and faithful devo- 
tion, to her unfailing motherly s3Tiipathies, and to her 
Christian spirit. After the close of the academy years, 
and after he had returned to the farm and plunged into 
the summer work, he wrote to his friend Carroll : 

"I just begin to realize with awful force the fact that 
my dear Mother has gone — never to return.^ Oh, how 
I shall need her aid and counsel! Every day it seems as 
if I ought to be consulting her about my plans for the 
future." 

His letters to Carroll and the reminiscences of Mrs. 
Wilkins reveal a very busy young man on the Dutton farm 
in that summer of 1868. A swift transition from student 
life to farm work in the fields makes a heavy demand on 
strength and endurance, and Samuel observes to his friend, 
"Father is quite slim and all the heavy work falls upon 

1 His father. Deacon Dutton, lived until March 28, 1905. 



10 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

me." After a few days he thankfully notes that he has 
"got toughened now." But his studies were ever with him. 
All leisure time, even to late hours at night, was devoted 
to books in the effort to fill the gaps in his preparatory 
training. 

There is evidence that he had become naturally inter- 
ested, as a normal boy should, in the social life at New 
London. He wants to have Carroll's "candid opinion" 
upon the advisability of further attentions to an evidently 
somewhat difficult young lady from Keene, N. H. Samuel 
writes that he doesn't "feel quite so Keene for hoeing in" 
as he once did, and it appears that this strongly agricul- 
tural figure of speech described for New London acad- 
emicians the process of intrenching oneself in the good 
graces of the ladies. His uncertainty about Keene does 
not hinder him from planning for similar diversions "as 
soon as the plaguey haying is done." He feels "in duty 
bound to go over to Francestown" where there is an "old 
crony" at home from Amherst College ; also "an old flame 
of mine which I must kindle up a little." 

The fall of 1868 found Dutton back at New London and 
in the Senior class. That he played his part in the school 
debating club appears certain from the program of the 
public meeting of the "Euphemian Association," held on 
Tuesday evening, November 24, 1868. The fine mediaeval 
and classic flavor of the school is shown not only in the 
name of its nursery for young orators, flaunting the Latin 
motto: "Bene Orasse Est Bene Studuisse," but also in 
the fact that two of the three orations delivered on this 
evening were tipped with Latin titles. Dutton's oration 
was labeled "Humana Omnia Vanitas Sunt." To lighten 
the gloom a little, the next oration carried the motto, "Nil 
Desperandum." It may be worth while to note that friend 



BOYHOOD AND EDUCATION 11 

Carroll upheld the affirmative in the evening's debate on 
the question, "Has War Been Productive of Reform?" 

In the following month, December, young Dutton, at 
home for vacation, having lost his trunk on the way down 
from New London, draws a picture of himself, "sitting by 
the fire and toasting my shins," and tries to lure Carroll 
to come over from Warner and join him. "Be sure and 
come," he writes, "for bread and milk are cheap and cider 
is plenty." 

During the spring vacation in the following March, 
Dutton sat down to tell his friend about his sight-seeing 
visit to the city of Concord, while on his way home, and 
in this letter makes the first recorded expression of his 
interest in a professional view of school work. Both of 
the young men had had some district school experience 
and they both looked now upon teaching as a means of 
paying expenses in college. 

The letter begins in a vein of characteristic humor. Sit- 
ting "under mine own vine and figtree," the youthful 
Samuel assumes the tone of contemplative age: "I sup- 
pose you are having a fine time pursuing the gay phantoms 
of life, as busy as a bee and as jolly as a frog. Well, I 
don't blame you, for I was a boy once, and what was worse, 
I acted as a child, but now, having put away childish 
things, while I glory in my condition, I would pity rather 
than chide those treading the paths of youth." 

Then after detailing his experiences in Concord, where 
he says he "found the old ladies quite sociable," he con- 
tinues : "When I return to New London, I intend to spend 
three or four days in Concord, and shall endeavor to visit 
the schools, hoping I may learn something practical. Shall 
take the vacation as easily as possible. Am looking over 
English Grammar, but have found nothing new yet." 



12 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

So far the young Dutton has appeared to be the usual 
thoughtful student, hard working, earnest, normally fond 
of his companions of either sex, impressionable, and full 
of an intelligent inquisitiveness. In later life he said, "I 
have yet to learn of any one who had a better time during 
his preparatory course than I did." 

A few weeks before the close of his Senior year, he shook 
the New London Literary and Scientific Institution with 
a sudden manifestation of independence and impatience of 
petty restrictions. 

A rule of the school forbade social intercourse between 
the girls and boys, excepting when it was duly authorized 
by the faculty officers. The rule was constantly broken, 
but the students were, of course, expert in seeking cover, 
and only on rare occasions was a culprit detected and 
punished. Probably Dutton's spirit revolted against the 
necessity of enjoying harmless pleasures only while in hid- 
ing. At any rate, the girls came out to play croquet on 
the lawn in front of their dormitory, and Dutton calmly 
carried his Senior dignity across the forbidden line, and 
entered the game. 

Some fluttering onlooker carried to the office the news 
of this insubordination. A command was sent to Dutton 
to leave the ground. Instead of complying, he remained 
where he was until his game was finished. Then he was 
summoned before the Director and suspended from the 
school, the sentence implying that he would not be allowed 
to complete his course before the following year.^ 

Highly indignant over the great severity of the sen- 
tence, Dutton's classmates voted to stand by him, and to 
attend no more school exercises until he was reinstated. 
For a time it seemed likely that the whole class would be 
1 The head of the Institution at that time was Dr. A. W. Sawyer, 
afterwards President of Acadia College in Nova Scotia. 



BOYHOOD AND EDUCATION 13 

suspended, and that there would be no graduation exer- 
cises. The young man himself remained with friends, not 
wishing to go home to worry his father with the story. 
Finally, on the day before Graduation Day, the faculty 
decided that the offense was not grave enough to cause 
the wreck of the class and all its festivities. The vote 
permitted Dutton to graduate with his classmates. He 
reappeared in his place, and the graduation exercises on 
the next day were conducted as if nothing had happened. 
Ten years later he was chosen to give the class oration at 
the decennial reunion of that class of '69, and Colby 
Academy has ever since inscribed his name high upon the 
list of its best known and best loved alumni. 

Dutton and his friend Carroll went to their homes, 
determined to apply for admission to Dartmouth College, 
but tentatively decided to teach during the following year 
in order to secure funds. They made application in vari- 
ous places, and Dutton became a successful candidate for 
a school at Boscawen, N. H. 

Early in the summer, during the haying season, Car- 
roll came to the Dutton farm for a short visit. One after- 
noon, out in the hayloft, the boys discussed the relative 
advantages of Dartmouth and Yale, and decided in favor 
of the latter college. This was the argument which swayed 
them both. A boy derives much education from his 
environment. He should, therefore, seek the environment 
which is unfamiliar to him and which can teach him the 
most. Country boys should go to a college in a city, and 
city boys should enter a college in the country. Ergo, 
two New Hampshire farmer lads ought to apply at New 
Haven rather than at Hanover. 

They feared that they were less fitted to take the Yale 
entrance examinations than those at Dartmouth. Acting 



14 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

upon the new decision with characteristic promptness, 
Dutton invited his friend to prolong his stay at the farm, 
so that they might assist each other in preparing for the 
ordeal of the September examinations at New Haven. 

There was surprise in the Dutton household the next 
morning when Samuel descended the stairs with a load of 
books, and announced that the rest of his summer would 
be devoted to study and not to farm work. Deacon Dut- 
ton no longer expected to change the course of his son's 
ambitions, but felt troubled over the financial outlook. 
He accepted the situation, and was willing, as before, "to 
give his son his time," but he could not promise to help 
him much with money. 

There were two neighbors, however, brothers, with the 
name of Clark, distant cousins of the Duttons, unmarried 
men, and deemed well-off for that simple community, who 
were very friendly to Samuel and much interested in his 
career. They promised to lend him money, and Deacon 
Dutton indorsed the notes which his son gave. In all, 
the Clark brothers loaned to him about two thousand 
dollars. 

In September, 1869, a few days before the Yale entrance 
examinations were due, the two boy friends set out 
together for New Haven. The day was a Saturday, and 
early in the afternoon the pilgrims landed at the New 
Haven railroad station. Ignorant of the city and its dis- 
tances, they hired a carriage whose driver took them to 
the best hotel in the city, the New Haven House, the pre- 
decessor of the present Hotel Taft. 

Their combined financial resources were very meager, 
but they were embarked upon a great adventure and did 
not descend at once to a close scrutiny of expenditures. 
Having engaged a room and enjoyed a square meal, they 



BOYHOOD AND EDUCATION 16 

sallied forth to report to Alma Mater the arrival of two 
sub-freshmen. Upon the campus they were directed to 
the college offices, but found them closed. Impressed with 
the idea that they must get their names on the record if 
possible, they inquired their way to the President's house 
on Hillhouse Avenue. President Porter was not at home, 
but they learned that one of the professors lived across 
the street, so they pulled the bell at the house of genial 
James D. Dana. That sagacious and kindly man received 
the inquirers, gave them some paternal counsel, and dis- 
missed them with the comforting knowledge in their minds, 
that, at any rate, some one in authority had cognizance 
of their presence at Yale. 

Returning to their hotel, they took stock of their assets 
and liabilities, and suddenly realized what it meant to have 
only nine dollars between them — surely not a sum to war- 
rant any extravagance. They perceived that the New 
Haven House was not the right home for them. A search 
for humbler quarters was successful. Before bedtime 
came, they were settled in their new location, to which 
they had wheeled their luggage from the hotel in a bor- 
rowed wheelbarrow, commandeered ^ under cover of dark- 
ness. 

Dutton managed to leap the entrance hurdles in the 
examinations, but Carroll, abandoning the effort before 
the examinations were over, decided to teach for a while 
before beginning his college course. He left New Haven, 
returned to New Hampshire, and obtained charge of the 
school at Boscawen which his friend had originally 
intended to take. 

Dutton's extra-curriculum activities during his four 
years at Yale were of necessity chiefly concerned with 

1 Mr. Dutton's phrase was "hooked." 



16 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

plans for earning money and thereby diminishing the 
burden of indebtedness to the folks at home. He drew 
some of his friends and congenial acquaintances into an 
eating-club, of which he became steward. Thus his board 
was provided for. 

His pleasant baritone voice became part of his working 
capital. In the summer vacation he conducted singing 
schools in various small towns in Connecticut. During 
his Junior and Senior years until graduation he was choir- 
master in the old Howe Street Church, afterwards the 
Dwight Place Church. He figured also as one of the best 
singers in his class. He belonged to the College Glee Club 
for two years and in his Senior year he was its President. 
In that year the Glee Club Quartet consisted of three 
seniors, Hart Lyman, for a long time an editor of the 
New York Tribune, John O. Heald, Samuel T. Button, 
and Thomas P. Wickes of the class of '74. Button 
was also one of the leading choristers of the B. K. E. 
fraternity. Button and Heald were together responsible 
for securing the services of Thomas G. Shepard as 
Birector of the Yale Glee Club, a position in which for 
many years Mr. Shepard was not only Birector, but a 
valued counselor and friend to many Yale men. 

One summer vacation Button went forth to raise money 
by selling Bibles among the towns along the Hudson River. 
In this effort he earned enough money in one month to 
justify him in taking a vacation for the rest of the sum- 
mer. His Junior year was unusually strenuous, for he 
was induced early in the year to become a teacher in the 
Hopkins Grammar School. He gave full time to the school 
and at the same time kept track as best he could of the 
college studies of his classmates. In the latter half of 
the year he returned to his college classes in time to make 




Yale Collp;ge Glee Club — 1873. 

Bacon, '73 Olmstead, '74 Wickes, '74 Dutton, '73 Wilson, '74 Howe, '76 

Heald, '73 Lyman, '73 Jones, '75 Waterman, '74 McClinfock, '75 

Woodman, '76 Stewart, '73 Butler, '76 



SamubIj T. Dutton in 1873. 



BOYHOOD AND EDUCATION 17 

up all the omitted work, and to pass all the final examina- 
tions. In his maturer years he was wont to refer to this 
experience as the time when he tried to do too much, but 
he always acknowledged the value derived from his close 
association with the remarkable teacher who then presided 
over the Hopkins School, Henry Norton ("Buck") John- 
son of Yale, '61. 

With such a comprehensive economic and social train- 
ing Dutton could hardly expect to become a candidate 
for scholastic honors. So far as the ratings of his 
instructors could judge him, his standing was usually low. 
Genial "Baldy" Wright is said to have remarked, "Dut- 
ton did the best on the least study of any man I have ever 
known." He certainly had no spare time to devote to 
books, and his classmates then would not have believed 
that he possessed the makings of an educator. They 
would probably have been equally incredulous about Fris- 
sell, all of which illustrates the insubstantial character 
of many verdicts of collegiate opinion. 

Except in music, Dutton was certainly not counted 
among the leaders of his class. The only prize recorded 
in his favor during his course was a third prize in the 
Linonian Freshman debate, which he shared with another. 
But in reality he won great prizes. He realized the dream 
which he and his mother had visualized, and did it by means 
which developed all his powers of initiative, self-reliance, 
and invention. Always obliged to earn money, he always 
seemed to have what he needed, and, at the same time, was 
careful to preserve most jealously his own self-respect. 
Ever obliged to guard against the future, his classmates 
knew him as a man who faced every event and met every- 
body with imperturbable confidence and good humor, and 
who seemed to be surprisingly sure of himself. Few of 



18 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

those who came into close contact with him realized how 
he was struggling to earn money and to keep his inevitable 
burden of debt as small as possible. One classmate, jot- 
ting down now his memories of Dutton in college, recalls 
him as the possessor of a "beautiful voice, always ready 
to sing, and mighty kind and obliging." 

This classmate, a lover of music but no singer, wanted 
to obtain for his mother's pleasure a fugitive melody that 
he knew only by ear, and that he was unable to buy. 

"I was a little shy of going to any one else, because 
they would laugh at my attempts, which hurt. Dutton 
would not. So I went to him in his room in Farnam, south 
entry, and sang it over to him. He worked out the air 
from my attempts, and wrote down the notes for me, so 
that I could take them back to my Mother. He was always 
ready to do a fellow a service. I remember being much 
impressed by learning from him that he had worked dur- 
ing the summer vacation in the hayfields to get money to 
go on with." 

Dutton played his part in the religious life of the col- 
lege community as befitted a student who still imagined 
that his final life-work might be in the Christian ministry, 
but religious activities in the Yale of that decade seem 
to have been very limited in range and character. How- 
ever, it is recorded that he not only attended the first 
devotional meeting held by his class, but also offered 
prayer. 

While working his way through college he was unable 
to give much time to the home at Hillsborough, even in 
the seasons called vacation. When he could play, he was 
ready to do his share, and local gossip still remembers a 
Fourth of July parade of Antiques and Horribles in which 
Sam Dutton harnessed and bestrode a Jersey cow, and 
rode it through the village in the procession. 



BOYHOOD AND EDUCATION 19 

In the spring of 1871 Deacon Dutton married a worthy 
lady, a relative of his first wife, and well qualified to give 
motherly care to the younger children. Upon the educa- 
tion of these young folks the elder brother kept a watch- 
ful eye and exerted a guiding influence, as he had promised 
his mother to do. 

As a kind of Prime Minister in the household the young 
collegian began to exert a mellowing influence upon the 
Puritanical rigidity of his father's character. He brought 
into the household the new ideals that he was forming 
in his larger world. It is recorded that a young girl visi- 
tor in the family greatly disturbed the Deacon by her 
exploits in climbing trees and leaping fences, and he began 
to express his opinion with his usual caustic severity. 
Samuel, who happened to be at home from college, was in 
an adjoining room and overheard the conversation. He 
quickly stepped toward his father and respectfully but 
firmly maintained the right of youth to healthy play with- 
out reproach. The Deacon faced what was probably the 
first declaration of independence in his family, like a good 
man. He made no reply, but soon went away, and never 
alluded again to that subject. He respected his son's 
judgment and knowledge, and perhaps was secretly proud 
of his strength and courage in asserting himself even 
against an orthodox tradition. 



CHAPTER II 

FIEST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT IN 

SOUTH NORWALK, NEW HAVEN, AND BROOKLINE 

1873—1900 

When Dutton in his Senior year at Yale began to look 
for a place and means of entrance into the larger life of 
the world outside, his immediate problem was not an easy 
one. His ultimate object was still the study of theology 
and preparation to preach the Gospel. But he was in 
debt to the college and to his friends at Hillsborough. His 
brothers and sister were on their way to an education, and 
he was determined to be able to help them. Moreover, he 
had fallen in love with a young lady in New Haven who 
regarded him with favor. Naturally, he did not wish to 
banish the marriage day into a remote distance. His 
first concern was the payment of his debts. With that 
end in view he looked for employment as a teacher. 

About Commencement time he learned that the Board 
of Education, then called school committee, in South Nor- 
walk. Conn., had written to President Noah Porter about 
a vacant principalship in the high school in that place, 
and that the President had recommended him, and others 
also, as worthy of consideration. It was the intention of 
the South Norwalk Committee to obtain a new principal 
who would be qualified to have the oversight of all the other 
schools, a long step toward a better educational organi- 
zation. The members of the committee interviewed sev- 
eral young graduates, some of whom thought it best, in 

20 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 21 

view of their lack of experience, to suggest diplomatically 
their willingness to accept a very small salary for the first 
year, a salary even less than that which the committee had 
in mind. When Dutton met the committee, he named as 
his figure a sum considerably in excess of the salary then 
usually offered to a candidate with his limited experience, 
and asked, in case of mutual satisfaction, for an assured 
increase of five hundred dollars in the second year. He 
also impressed — and possibly surprised — the gentlemen by 
his definite and progressive ideas about teaching and 
school organization. His happy confidence in his ability 
to succeed was a prime factor in winning the support of 
the committee. One member of it, a prominent man of 
business, especially commended the man who would not set 
a low value on his services, and the position was Dutton's. 

The schools of South Norwalk were ready for the hand 
of a pioneer. Previous supervision had been nominal, and 
Dutton was in effect the first superintendent. The teach- 
ing force was doing its work under the law of inertia, and 
contained individuals who owed their positions to local 
relationships or who were teaching mechanically, with- 
out much professional interest or ambition. It was the 
duty of the new superintendent to remove the dead wood 
from the staff of teachers, to fill the vacancies with the 
right kind of personalities, to impart to the staff a sense 
of unity of intellectual life and a forward look. All this 
Dutton did, at the cost of a conflict with the conservatives 
who always prefer to preserve the status quOy and espe- 
cially with the militant family groups, who rallied to the 
defense of some of the imperiled resident teachers. 

The members of the School Committee gave to Mr. 
Dutton an unfaltering support. Individually they were 
more than supporters of his work. They became his 



22 SAMUEL TRAIN DUTTON 

ardent friends, and their homes were social centers of a 
strong community spirit of interest in the schools, the 
teachers, and the plans and ideas of the new superintend- 
ent. He found also a powerful and persuasive coadjutor 
in a young man who had recently become pastor of the 
Baptist Church in South Norwalk. This was James Mon- 
roe Taylor, afterwards the famous President of Vassar 
College. Messrs. Taylor and Dutton soon found that 
they had much in common. They were in precise agree- 
ment about the needs of South Norwalk schools. Dr. 
Taylor became a member of the School Committee, and 
so the two men worked side by side to vivify and develop 
the schools for better service and to improve the com- 
munity life in other ways. Thus grew up a warm senti- 
ment of comradeship between them which was lifelong.^ 

Another potent auxiliary came to Dutton's side when, 
on October 8, 1874, Miss Cornelia C. North, daughter of 
John G. North of New Haven, became his wife. They 
began life together in a modest boarding-place, where they 
were promptly serenaded by the musical talent of South 
Norwalk, and the bride wrote home, "Sam evidently has 
made a great many friends here." They adhered always 
to such economies as enabled them to live well within his 
income, to eliminate soon all his college debts, and to pro- 
vide for the future against financial worries. Mrs. Dut- 
ton was always his helpmeet in deed as well as in word. 
She was actively interested in all his plans and work, and 
as his closest counselor, shared in all his responsibilities. 

Dutton entered upon the new life with characteristic 

joy and hope. Soon after his marriage he wrote to his 

wife's parents: *'The battle of life has been a severe one 

for me so far. It looks brighter now and, while I strike 

1 Elizabeth H. Haight: "Life and Letters of James Monroe Taylor." 
Dutton, 1919, p. 77. 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 23 

my best blows, I have perfect confidence in our ability, 
with God's help, to win a good measure of success. As 
far as lies in my power, Nell shall never want anything 
which may add to her happiness." 

The South Norwalk experience demonstrated to Mr. 
Dutton's satisfaction the importance of a strong social 
support for the schools. Here he observed and formu- 
lated gradually one of the chief foundations of his theory 
of school administration — the systematic cooperation of 
parents and teachers for the training of the child, the 
greater efficiency of the school, and, ultimately, the educa- 
tion of parents. His imagination was quick to picture the 
ideal conditions of development. He visualized a com- 
munity taking pride in a unified school system, a school 
system multiplying its contacts with the life of the com- 
munity and with the practical needs of the individual 
student, and the high school, a community center of the 
fine arts, occupying the finest site and expressing the high- 
est ideals of training for young and old. 

The news soon traveled around the countryside that a 
new spirit was brooding over the South Norwalk schools. 
Young folks from other towns began to seek admission 
to the high school under Mr. Dutton's supervision. It 
was not Mr. Dutton's own teaching that drew them. He 
was not by nature a teacher of children. It was the spirit 
and purpose which he demanded of his teachers, or steadily 
kindled within them. 

Nevertheless, he was not yet quite sure what profession 
he would eventually choose. At one time in South Nor- 
walk he began to read law, in order to see whether he pos- 
sessed an aptitude for that profession. He soon reached 
a negative answer, and returned to his original ambition 
to become a preacher. He was seriously thinking of 



24 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

resigning his work in order to study for the ministry, 
when an unsuspected opportunity opened before him, and 
changed his whole problem. 

Reports of what "that young Dutton" had been doing 
in South Norwalk had reached New Haven, and had come 
to the ears of Maier Zunder, one of the members of the 
city school board, also to the knowledge of Ariel Parish, 
who had been since 1865 the city superintendent of schools. 
Just then (the spring of 1877) the New Haven school 
authorities were called upon to fill a sudden vacancy in 
the principalship of the Eaton Grammar School. This 
was one of the most important positions in the city sys- 
tem. The school was in one of the best sections of the 
city, and the principal of the school was also the superin- 
tendent of the Eaton School district, comprising several 
lower schools. 

Twenty-six candidates for the place, among whom Mr. 
Dutton was not included, had already filed their applica- 
tions, but Messrs. Parish and Zunder wanted to know 
more about the man in South Norwalk. The rest of the 
story may as well be told in the language of Mr. North, 
the father of Mrs. Dutton, in a family letter under date 
of April 29, 1877: 

"Last week Mr. Parish called to see me about Sam's 
school, but I was not at home. So he and a committee 
went over to Norwalk to see whether Sam could be released 
there to take Eaton School here. They found him; and 
one of the committee saw Sam before school and said to 
himself (as he now says), 'that young man looks too young 
and inexperienced for such a school as Eaton.' But, on 
entering the school, he said Dutton kept growing larger 
and larger as he saw the progress in the school, and, 
before he left, he said Sam was a head taller than when 
he first saw him. 




The Dutton Family. 

In front, left to right: Edward, Mary, Mrs. Dutton, Mr. Dutton, 

Hammond; standing in rear: Silas and Samuel 




Samuel T. Dutton 
About twelve years old. 





Samuel T. Dutton 
At New London, N. H. 



Samuel T. Dutton 
About the time of admission to Yale College. 







Samuel T. Dutton, 
Superintendent of Schools in New Haven. 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 25 

"They came home and in full Board elected Sam Prin- 
cipal at a salary of $2500, and gave him privilege to go 
to Norwalk once a week to see to his school there, until 
close of term. 

"Sam has accepted the position and commences next 
Monday. All this was done without any planning or 
influence of mine. ... I think Sam fitted for the place, and 
that Providence has ordered this to be so. What his 
future plan is about the ministry, I don't know." 

When Mr. Button had supervised the Eaton School 
district for four years, Mr. Parish's retirement from the 
city superintendency was announced, October 25, 1881. 
Mr. Dutton was the youngest among the district super- 
intendents in New Haven and was also the latest comer, 
but his administration of the Eaton School had been so 
acceptable to the school committee and to the community, 
that he was unanimously elected in December, 1881, to be 
Mr. Parish's successor. He was chosen because he was 
believed to be the best man in the city system to foresee 
and formulate policies that would assure the wise expan- 
sion and increased efficiency of the schools. To this pur- 
pose he devoted the next ten years of his life. 

While he was still in the Eaton School he had started a 
movement to discontinue the use of the Lovell reading 
books, a highly conventional type of readers, which had 
been in New Haven schools for many years. They were 
the work of Mr. John E. Lovell, a famous teacher of a 
former generation, who had been at the head of the Lan- 
casterian school in New Haven, and who was still living 
at a very advanced age. Like the philosopher and educa- 
tor, William Torrey Harris, who at this time was just 
closing his wonderful career as superintendent of schools 
in St. Louis, Mr. Dutton was convinced that the reading 
of school children must be enriched in content and widened 



26 SMIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

in scope. Dr. Harris said that the motto of every school- 
room must be, "Each may master the deepest and wisest 
thoughts that the human race has transmitted to us." 
This was also Mr. Button's gospel. He agreed also with 
Dr. Harris that not only literature but all the other fine 
arts should be employed in transmitting those lessons to 
children. Hence it is not now surprising to know that 
Principal Button asked the School Board to supply the 
students in the eighth grade of the Eaton School with 
copies of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." But his request, 
which was granted, greatly surprised the Board and the 
community. At that time no study of English literature 
was required for admission to Yale, and Yale students 
were not introduced to Shakespeare until their Junior 
year. 

Thus even before he became city superintendent, Mr. 
Button saw the old readers supplanted by better ones 
throughout the city schools. The change was not accom- 
plished without the usual fight in the Board against the 
agents of book publishers and their friends. This was 
the first of his reforms and in it he drew upon himself 
the antagonism of persons in the teaching staff and in the 
community who were naturally opposed to new ideas, or 
who esteemed a rigid economy above all other virtues. 
Such elements in New Haven found an organ and a spokes- 
man in the New Haven Union and in its editor and proprie- 
tor, Alexander Troup, whose wife had been a teacher in 
the public schools. This newspaper constantly exerted 
what influence it possessed, chiefly among the wage-earners, 
to condemn the new superintendent of schools as visionary, 
wasteful, and high-handed. 

Before he became superintendent, in fact in the autumn 
of 1878 soon after he came to the Eaton School, Mr. 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 27 

Dutton led a successful fight to prevent; these demagogic 
forces in the community from crippling the schools. They 
had started, with a cry of "retrenchment," to secure a 
vote in the annual school meeting for the elimination of 
classical language studies from the high school and for 
the abolition of appropriations for teaching music and 
drawing, which they condemned as "unnecessary instruc- 
tion." After the battle was over, Mr. Dutton reviewed 
the conflict briefly in a letter, dated October 9, 1878, 
thus: 

"The annual school meeting was adjourned to meet in 
the evening at Music Hall to hear a report from a com- 
mittee of well-known anti-public education views. It 
seemed necessary to the principals to act in concert and 
in such a manner as to lift the people up to a higher senti- 
ment in regard to schools generally. To make a long 
story short — a committee, of which I had the honor of 
being chairman, was chosen to conduct the campaign. 
Prior to the great meeting, we spoke often and earnestly 
through the press, sent out a circular as a bait to work- 
ingmen, and at the meeting had a list of speakers who 
just went in regardless — such men as Professors Sumner 
and Brewer and Dr. Dennen. . . . Well, we beat them, and 
a better feeling exists than before." 

A copy of that four-page circular lies before me. It 
was prepared chiefly by Mr. Dutton and mailed from his 
house. It bears the caption, "The Public Schools in 
Danger!" presents the facts about the per capita cost of 
schools in New Haven, warmly defends the college prepar- 
atory work of the high school, and rings many changes 
upon an argument like this to the wage-earner: 

"If you, and others like you, are at Music Hall Wednes- 
day night, and vote against any change whatever in pub- 
lic schools, these same schools will take your boy and 



28 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

place him side by side with the rich man's boy at the col- 
lege door. 

"Those who vote for a change will say in effect, what- 
ever they may intend — Let there be two kinds of schools ; 
one for the rich, another for the poor. Let the first give 
the best education money can buy. Let the other be the 
poor man's school, and teach his children just as little as 
they can get along with." 

The public school system of New Haven, when Mr. But- 
ton took charge of it, had been marking time and had 
almost forgotten to grow. The one high school in the 
city, the Hillhouse High School, was not in any sense a 
force in the community. The principal was a worthy 
gentleman, who had held that position for many years, 
and although his wife, a woman of unusual intellectual 
power, was also a member of the teaching staff, the school 
had fallen into a deep rut, and its management lacked 
educational vision. The children of the more fortunate 
classes did not attend it. Private schools for both boys 
and girls were large and flourishing, and especially the 
boys who were intending to enter college were usually sent 
to either the ancient Hopkins Grammar School or to its 
rival, General Russell's Military School. For girls there 
were several seminaries of similar rank, and Miss Cady's 
School enjoyed a wide reputation. 

The new spirit in the New Haven schools started a 
revolution in the conditions of high school instruction. 
With rare diplomatic skill and tact, Mr. Button managed 
to secure the retirement of the Principal without alienat- 
ing the good will and friendship of either that gentleman 
or his wife. The change was not effected without opposi- 
tion and censure, but the endorsement finally given by 
public opinion to Mr. Button's action, and to the manner 
of it, was emphatic and undeniable. The Hillhouse High 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 29 

School was gradually reorganized to secure such efficiency 
that students began to flock to it, and the competition 
became too severe for the private schools, most of which, 
one after another, closed their doors. Eventually even 
the Hopkins School for a time found difficulty in main- 
taining itself. In 1885 Mr. Button and others tried to 
make the Hopkins School the Classical Department of 
the city high school, but the effort failed, chiefly on 
account of the legal difficulties created by the preservation 
of the historic continuity of the Hopkins endowment and 
by the natural unwillingness of the Board of Education 
to incorporate in the city system a school not entirely 
amenable to its own control. 

Up to the time of Mr. Button's advent the graduating 
classes of the high school were small. The girls were pre- 
dominant and boys were not much in evidence upon the 
program of graduation exercises. It is perhaps signifi- 
cant that in the high school commencement in the first 
year of Button's superintendency six girls who read essays 
were accompanied by five boys who delivered orations. 

At the same time he w^is demanding the enlargement of 
the science laboratories in the high school building. In 
the next year, 1883, he asked for the abolition of the "spe- 
cial students" division in the high school, a sort of lame 
duck section, and for the establishment of a one session 
school day of four hours from nine to one. "People," 
remarked the new superintendent, "who by the length of 
the sermon are detained in church on the Sabbath more 
than one hour and a half are uncomfortable and full of 
complaint. Think of attending church five days in the 
week for five hours per day." The Board of Education 
promptly approved both of these recommendations. 

A still greater contribution to secondary education in 



30 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

New Haven was the introduction of vocational instruc- 
tion. Mr. Dutton gave his most serious thought and care- 
ful investigation to the then new demand for manual train- 
ing within the school curriculum. Dr. Harris in St. Louis 
had been proclaiming that the mind must arise out of the 
senses, which are "the five windows of the soul." Mr. Dut- 
ton became convinced that the demand for these prac- 
tical contacts with life must be heeded. His report for 
1883 foreshadowed the opening in September of manual 
training in carpentry for boys in the basements of two 
of the newer grammar schools, and of instruction in sew- 
ing for girls in two other schools. To these four places 
eligible students from other grammar schools in the city 
were permitted to go. 

These humble beginnings attracted favorable atten- 
tion in the community, and in 1885 Mr. Dutton was for- 
tunate enough to find a lady, Mrs. Lucy H. Boardman, 
who gave to the city ten thousand dollars as a fund for 
the support of manual training in the public schools. She 
also gave five hundred dollars as advance interest, to be 
applied to the expenses for the current year. With the 
income of this fund more suitable rooms and equipment 
for the boys' work were secured, and in 1889, after three 
years of effort by Mr. Dutton, domestic science for girls 
was added to the curriculum. In the same year the super- 
intendent outlined his vision of a high school of manual 
arts, a vision which was fuUy realized after he had left 
New Haven, and which is embodied to-day in a beautiful 
building, bearing the name of the donor whose gift made 
the first effort so much easier. 

The achievement which Mr. Dutton himself enumerated 
first among his policies of improvement was the creation 
of the Welch Training School for Teachers. Prior to his 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 31 

day, young persons who wanted to become teachers in New 
Haven were attached to the staff of this or that school 
as substitute teachers, and, as novices, picked up a rather 
haphazard training. Mr. Dutton described the practice 
merely to condemn it : "The practice has been repeatedly 
pursued of placing fifty children of diverse temperaments 
in charge of a young lady just out of school, with little 
or no training in the economics of teaching and manage- 
ment, and with but scanty knowledge of the laws which 
control the operation of either mind or body." 

In his first report, 1882, he asks for a city training 
school, in its own building, with a two years' course, the 
second year to be devoted mainly to practice work. Realiz- 
ing that all this could not be secured at once, he recom- 
mends the immediate recognition of a one year course of 
training, which all applicants for admission may enter 
only by passing certain examinations. The Board of 
Education approved these plans, and the superintendent's 
second report (1883) was able to display the picture of a 
building then being constructed at a cost of sixty thou- 
sand dollars. This building was opened to public service 
on February 29, 1884, and was named after Harmanus M. 
Welch, a prominent citizen and the president of the Board 
of Education, who had been deeply interested in this 
project. 

While Mr. Dutton was most engrossed in his plans for 
a training school, in the winter of 1882-3, he was also 
deeply interested in an attempt to place his old friend, 
Carroll, in the vacant State Superintendency of Education 
for Connecticut. The official title of the office was "Sec- 
retary" of the State Board of Education. Carroll had 
taken a belated degree from Yale College in 1881, and 
was now superintendent of schools in Oil City, Penna. The 



32 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

two comrades were in frequent communication and in en- 
tire sympathy with each other. A more conservative and 
socially acceptable candidate for the secretaryship was 
chosen by a narrow margin of votes. Dutton wrote to 
his brother-in-law as follows : "Carroll all but was elected 
here as Secretary. He made a splendid canvass, and I 
was proud of him. Governor Bigelow was delighted with 
him, but the Skull and Bones influence of Yale was a little 
too much for us. I shall try to bring him on next year 
to take charge of my Normal School." (Carroll did 
become in 1883 the head of the State Normal School at 
New Britain, Conn.) 

Closely connected with the training school enterprise 
was Mr. Dutton's earnest desire to introduce kindergar- 
tens in New Haven. They were distinctly a novelty. Dr. 
Harris in St. Louis had also established a city normal 
school and had brought Miss Susan Blow there in 1873 to 
conduct a kindergarten, but kindergartens were then usu- 
ally maintained as private schools. 

In 1883 Mr. Dutton encouraged some benevolent and 
public-spirited ladies in New Haven to start a charity 
kindergarten for the children of the poor, and recom- 
mended that they be allowed to use the unoccupied school- 
rooms. He also expressed the hope that kindergartens 
would eventually find a place in the public school system, 
and recommended that a kindergartener should become a 
member of the faculty of the coming training school. He 
told the Board that prospective teachers should become 
familiar with the genius and philosophy of the system of 
Froebel. 

In 1884 the free charity kindergarten began its opera- 
tion under the direction of Miss Angeline Brooks, whom 
Mr. Dutton promptly employed to lecture to his primary 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 33 

grade teachers. He was particularly concerned about the 
adaptations necessary to link the methods and studies of 
the kindergarten with those of the first primary grade. 
These adjustments then seemed difficult, and, to some, 
impossible, but patient effort triumphed and Mr. Dutton 
was proud of the sympathetic and intelligent cooperation 
secured among his primary teachers. In his report of 
1884 he observed: 

"The majority of our one hundred or more primary 
teachers are on high ground. They have become free. 
They are artists, because they have learned that art 
springs from the soul and works in an atmosphere of 
love." 

In 1886 a kindergarten was a part of the Welch Train- 
ing School, and when he left New Haven there were three 
kindergartens in the city schools. 

Mr. Dutton believed in humanizing education for teach- 
ers as well as scholars, and in diminishing the purely 
mechanical labor as much as possible. Above all, he wished 
to get rid of the feverish spirit of working exclusively for 
examinations. In his first report, he dropped the remark 
that the methods of reporting and marking, of which 
nearly all schools then made a sort of fetish, may have 
been useful once, but "are too cumbersome now." Two 
years later he exults because a mechanical reliance on 
marks has nearly disappeared from the grammar schools, 
and is sorry that it lingers in some parts of the high 
school. The new State Superintendent of Schools had not 
been released from the traditional dependence on marks 
and examinations. In consonance with this theory of 
pedagogical mechanics, a local superintendent in Connecti- 
cut prepared an unusually elaborate scheme of promotion 
tests, and sent it to Mr. Dutton for comment. The latter 



34. SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

promptly sent to the State Superintendent an indignant 
protest, saying that, after so many years of labor to strike 
off the shackles from the public schools, it was discourag- 
ing to be confronted with such relics of barbarism. 

Emancipation from lifeless routine was Superintendent 
Dutton's watchword for every department of school life. 
In his first report he had this to say about reading in 
the schools, as he found it : "A few of our teachers would 
do better never to hear a reading lesson than to allow 
such word-grinding and concerted bawling as are some- 
times heard in passing along the street in the vicinity of 
a school house. I must honestly say that in some instances 
we are very deficient in reading." 

And Colonel Francis Wayland Parker would have 
applauded this word of counsel to the teachers of geog- 
raphy : "One lesson from the top of East Rock would be 
worth a dozen lessons recited from the book." 

The years which Mr. Button spent in South Norwalk 
and at the Eaton School were precisely the years when 
Colonel Parker was making the school system of Quincy, 
Mass., a laboratory for experiments in new pedagogical 
ideas (1873-1880). He banished the notion that the 
teacher's chief duty was to "hear recitations." He pro- 
posed to free the child from the shackles of rote-learning, 
and to substitute the personality of the teachers for the 
text-book as the central source of education. It was said 
of Colonel Parker that "he breathed life, growth, and hap- 
piness into schoolrooms." Button framed his own ideal 
of school management in the same terms. He was among 
the first to recognize Colonel Parker's genius for leader- 
ship, and to put himself and his teachers, so far as pos- 
sible, in sympathetic touch with what were known as 
"Quincy methods." Soon after he came to New Haven 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 35 

he became personally acquainted with both Colonel Parker 
and Dr. Harris, and with the former there grew up a 
close personal friendship, ended only by death. 

In his first annual report as city superintendent, Mr. 
Dutton said : 

"The child learns according as the teacher is skillful 
in exciting his interest and curiosity and in keeping him 
constantly and happily employed. Such beginnings in 
education start from within and work outward. There 
is no pouring in nor cramming. There is no room for 
force or useless routine and discipline. The teacher has 
to work slowly, thoughtfully, patiently. Working thus, 
her pupils not only get real knowledge, but receive such 
an introduction to school life that they will continue to 
enjoy it, unless unfortunately in some higher grade they 
fall into the hands of a teacher who places discipline 
before teaching." 

Mr. Dutton had learned at South Norwalk the value of 
social support for school work. He applied that lesson 
on a widely extended scale in New Haven. Cooperation 
between parents and teachers had been infrequent, desul- 
tory, and pertinent chiefly to questions of discipline. Mr. 
Dutton always connected whatever social forces he could 
reach with the struggle to improve the schools. Not only 
did the teachers become acquainted with each other and 
with him in frequent and organized meetings for pedagogi- 
cal study and discussion, but in each year Mr. Dutton 
arranged public meetings in the high school hall and else- 
where, attended by teachers and all citizens who wished 
to come, and addressed by eminent educators and other 
persons, qualified to speak with acknowledged authority 
upon the pressing questions of the day. He had a genius 
for selecting speakers and attracting audiences, to whom 
the school became what we now call "a community cen- 



36 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

ter." These contacts between the school system and the 
larger affairs of the world outside he believed to be vitally 
educational. The fundamental aim was, however, to secure 
a better understanding between parents and teachers and 
to present the school as a workshop wherein citizens as 
well as teachers and pupils had something to do. 

Among the speakers whom Mr. Button brought to these 
public meetings was Henry Ward Beecher. After his 
speech was over, Mr. Beecher lingered to talk with a 
friend and with his eyes upon Mr. Button, who had just 
left them, Mr. Beecher remarked approvingly, "That 
young man has fiber." "Fiber" is made strong by oppo- 
sition, and at no time in Mr. Button's administration in 
New Haven were adversaries lacking. The elements hos- 
tile to him, already alluded to, were strong enough to give 
their criticisms a political backing, especially among those 
who found their daughters' progress into teaching posi- 
tions made more difficult than it had been formerly, and 
among those who always object to expenditures of the 
public money. The fact that Mr. Button's salary was 
raised three times during his incumbency did not diminish 
the agitation of the self-appointed "watchdogs of the 
Treasury," however much it may have also testified to the 
favor and approval of the majority of the Board of Edu- 
cation. The "college crowd" and the social leaders in 
New Haven were in general supporters of Mr. Button's 
policies for the schools. But he did not get the backing 
of those groups, chiefly Bemocratic or, as it would have 
been called a little later, "Populist" in politics, which 
presumed to voice the sentiments of organized labor and 
of the plebeian multitude. 

Such elements were always strong enough among the 
voters to maintain representatives upon the Board of 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 37 

Education. These factions were critical not only of the 
new buildings, the higher salaries, and the "new-fangled" 
reforms. They made a loud outcry, like their congeners 
elsewhere, against appointments to the teaching force 
from outside of New Haven. Mr. Dutton was already 
widely acquainted in his profession. He had an almost 
unerring scent for good teaching and for strong, efficient 
personalities. Having the welfare of the schools in mind 
rather than the exigencies of local politics, he filled sev- 
eral important positions during the first years of his 
superintendency with qualified persons who were not 
"town-born." Thereupon arose Colonel Troup and all 
his lieutenants to cry aloud, in the spirit of Naaman of 
old, "Are not the Mill and Quinnipiac, rivers of New 
Haven, better than all the waters of Israel.''" 

Mr. Dutton gave his answer to this complaint in his 
annual report for 1885. Admitting that eight appoint- 
ments to principalships and headships of departments had 
been given during the last three years to non-residents, 
he points out that of all the women teachers who had 
received appointments during that time ninety-three per 
cent had been educated in the New Haven schools. 
Obviously this reply would not satisfy the censorious 
"hundred per cent" New Haveners. 

Perhaps it was in some of the political clashes thus 
engendered that Dutton received his first warnings that 
there might be some serious limitations to his physical 
strength. At any rate, that knowledge was borne in upon 
him while he was in New Haven, and it impressed upon 
him the importance and necessity of that moderation in 
bodily action which became his constant habit. The old 
Latin monition, nihil nimium — "nothing too much," 
expressed accurately both his physical and spiritual atti- 



38 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

tude towards life, what might be described as his pro- 
gressive conservatism. At the sexennial of his class in 
1879, he responded to the toast of "Yale, '73," and his 
concluding words were these: 

"I charge you be on guard against all wastes of life, 
both of a physical and of a moral kind. Let the wear and 
tear come only gradually upon us; so that even at our 
fiftieth anniversary we may come back hale and hearty, 
hungry and thirsty, as able to sing 'Bingo' as when we 
first sang it in Freshman year. Let's live slowly, boys. 
The next fifty years will reveal wonderful things in this 
country and in the world, and the result will be worth 
living to see. Let the bonds that unite us grow stronger 
as the years roll on, and may the success of every man be 
equal to his fondest hopes." 

In every time and place Mr. Button sought inspiration 
and support from an active social environment, not only 
for the schools and the teachers collectively, but also for 
himself personally. The information and inspiration 
which some men derive from libraries and others from 
solitary reflection, he sought in intimate discussions with 
kindred spirits. This was his greatest need, and, where- 
ever he went, he was a founder of some kind of "Get To- 
gether" club. In New Haven it was the Colby Club, which 
has had a long and socially famous career. This club 
began between 1880 and 1882 in the social meetings of a 
little group of friends. Professor James F. Colby, a 
lawyer; Mr. George L. Fox, then classical teacher in the 
high school, and Mr. Button. These three assembled in 
Mr. Colby's office, agreed that each one should prepare a 
list of names of young men suitable for membership in a 
social club. Mr. Colby's acquaintance in New Haven 
among the people desired was largest and his list was 
longest, so, although he protested that the suggestion of 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 39 

the club came from Dutton, it was determined to christen 
the club with Mr. Colby's name. Its first membership was 
composed of educators from the college and from the 
public schools, junior manufacturers, and novices in the 
learned professions. 

From the beginning the club devoted itself to the study 
of economic, social, and political questions. The proceed- 
ings of this club have been of such a friendly and intimate 
nature that it has kept no formal records, but Professor 
Colby recalls that at one of its earliest meetings, held in 
his office in the old Law Chambers, Mr. Dutton spoke on 
"New Ideas in Education," pleading for some of the 
radical changes in the subject matter and method of edu- 
cation, which were then demanding consideration. 

It was not until some date in his New Haven experience 
that Dutton definitely decided that school management 
was to be his profession. His report to his class at their 
sexennial shows that in 1879 he still expected to become a 
minister. His letters show that, in May of that year, he 
had notified the School Committee of his intention to 
resign his principalship at the Eaton School and to enter 
Union Theological Seminary in September. He writes, 
"Doubts creep over me now and then, but on the whole the 
way seems inviting, and I am happy in the prospect." His 
resolution was changed before September, and probably 
his election as City Superintendent in 1881 fixed him 
irrevocably in the educational profession. 

The financial argument which had drawn him into 
teaching in 1873 remained strong while there were still 
debts to pay for college expenses and brothers to help 
forward. His only sister was educated in New Haven 
and made her home with him until her marriage. The 
same letter that announced his entrance into Union Sem- 



40 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

inary in September, 1879, contained this sentence, "I 
intend to have sister Mary enter Wellesley College one 
year from next September," but she preferred matrimony 
to a college career. His brother, next to himself in age, 
was a member of the class of '78 in Yale College, but left 
New Haven in 1877 in order to take the position which 
Samuel was vacating at South Norwalk. The two other 
brothers were graduated from Phillips Academy at And- 
over, and then at their own desire went into business. The 
money that these boys needed for their education Samuel 
provided until they were able to care for themselves. 
These expenses he met while at the same time paying his 
own indebtedness. Yet he and Mrs. Dutton were such 
careful managers that they were able to accomplish all 
this, to live within their income, and begin to save some- 
thing for the future. The effort cost some self-denial and 
strict economy, but to Mr. Dutton his mother's wishes 
were sacred, and neither he nor his wife had any desire 
to shirk responsibility. He was amply repaid in the suc- 
cess which his brothers achieved. 

It pleased him also to be able to keep his father's house 
well supplied with the reading of which the old gentleman 
was fond, and in summer vacations, to revisit the ancestral 
acres, of which eventually he became for a time the owner. 

Speaking of vacations, Mr. Dutton combined pleasure 
with professional business in a visit to California in 1886, 
and in the following year had the long-anticipated delight 
of a first trip to Europe. His traveling companion was 
Edwin S. Lines, Yale, '72, then Rector of St. Paul's 
Church, New Haven, and now Bishop of Newark, New 
Jersey. Of this tour Bishop Lines writes: 

"While we both went many times afterwards, it was true 
for us that a man goes but once. There were many men 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 41 

and women on the Noordland whom we knew, and the 
experiences of that voyage were for us in after years more 
amusing than at the time. Sailing up the Scheldt of a 
Sunday afternoon and, within an hour of landing, follow- 
ing a procession through the streets of Antwerp to the 
Jesuit Church, we had our first feeling of being in the old 
world, and it was never forgotten." 

Mr. Button's activities in New Haven brought him invi- 
tations to other fields. The school publishing house of 
Ginn & Co., then Ginn & Heath, offered him a place in 
its business. In 1885 he was asked to consider a call to 
the presidency of Atlanta University. In the next year 
he was invited to become a supervisor of schools in Phila- 
delphia. All of these proposals he declined, but an unex- 
pected invitation in 1890 to take the superintendency of 
schools in Brookline, Mass., met a different reception. 

From the educational point of view, the town of Brook- 
line was almost ideally situated. It was reputed to be the 
wealthiest town in the country. It was still controlled 
both politically and socially by the same families that had 
once made Boston famous as the capital of New England. 
It was a Yankee outpost near the heart of the newer 
Boston. The town authorities were disposed to be gen- 
erous toward schools, and the public purse was amply 
filled. Public opinion was favorable to educational prog- 
ress, and, best of all, the schools of the town had been kept 
out of politics. Already, vocational instruction had found 
a home in the town in the William H. Lincoln Grammar 
School, housed in a handsome new building, containing a 
first-class manual-training equipment, and named after its 
donor, an influential and public-spirited citizen, who was 
also a member of the Board of Education. 

A call from such a community seemed to promise to Mr. 
Dutton a happy deliverance from nearly all the troubles 



42 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

that had beset and hindered him in New Haven, from 
political intrigues within and without the Board of Educa- 
tion, from vociferous accusations of the motives behind his 
policies for improvement of the schools, from bull-headed 
conservatism. The invitation from Brookline contained 
an assurance that there he would have a free hand to shape 
the growth of the school system in accordance with his 
desires. Therefore to Brookline he went in the summer 
of 1890. 

The new superintendent set himself at once to create in 
the teaching force a greater spirit of unity and profes- 
sional zeal. Sagacious as he was in the selection of teach- 
ers, he was equally skillful in evoking the best that there 
was in teachers already in the harness. Nothing delighted 
him more than to discern qualities of strength in a teacher 
who seemed superficially faulty, and to help her to reverse 
the positions. He was wont to say that the deepest ques- 
tion for the schools was identical with the fundamental 
problem of life in general, viz. : "How can men and women 
be made healthier, happier and better.'^" 

His first report in Brookline shows great activity 
among his teachers in grade and department meetings, in 
study classes and lecture courses for their exclusive 
benefit, and in pedagogical discussions. Eager to have 
young college women graduates as teachers in all grades 
of school work, he realized that they must have a training 
in methods and principles of education, which none of 
their colleges were then prepared to impart. There was a 
general impression that college women could not be inter- 
ested in the idea of teaching in elementary schools. Mr. 
Dutton believed that this conviction was erroneous, and 
that the error could be demonstrated. Therefore he 
formed a training class — and for five years conducted it 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 43 

himself — which at the outset included graduates from 
Radcliffe, Vassar and Wellesley. This class comprised in 
all about one hundred members, and they enjoyed the 
great advantage of observation in the Brookline schools. 
For the instruction of this class Mr. Dutton created out 
of his wide acquaintance a sort of faculty of assistants, 
each one of whom had, in his opinion, something of value 
to impart. He was aided particularly by Miss Mary 
McSkimmon, an experienced teacher and forceful per- 
sonality, whom Mr. Dutton brought to Brookline and 
made Principal of one of the grammar schools. The girls 
discovered that grade teaching was an occupation worthy 
of their abilities, and their later success justified Mr. 
Button's theory and hopes and amply repaid his efforts. 
His test for teachers was psychological rather than mate- 
rial. In his opinion the vital question for young teachers 
seeking employment should be, "What do you know about 
children? Can you reach and inspire them?" 

Prior to his advent in Brookline, there had been no 
realization that the schools and the public library had a 
common purpose. Mr. Button's first report declared that 
the library ought to "become the right arm of the school 
system." That is exactly what it did become, thanks to 
the willing and continued cooperation of a wise librarian. 
The equipment of the library and the expert knowledge of 
its staff were placed at the service of students and teachers. 
The practical co-working of library and schools as twin 
educational forces became an outstanding feature of the 
Brookline community. 

There was in those days a sharp conflict between those 
who favored a standardized system of instruction in draw- 
ing, applied to all schools and supplied by an enterprising 
firm of publishers, and those who wished to preserve the 



44 SMIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

largest amount of freedom to teacher and pupil. Rev. 
Edward Everett Hale appealed to Mr. Dutton for his 
opinion. The latter wrote a letter to the Boston Trans- 
cript, defining his position and that of the Brookline 
schools, and using one luminous phrase which seemed to 
many to be the last word in the controversy. Pleading for 
more originality and freedom of expression, he spoke of 
the first necessity of "setting the soul free." 

In the Brookline high school, Mr. Dutton found a 
problem not unlike that which he had already solved at 
New Haven. In a town of nearly fifty thousand people, 
the high school had only one hundred and fifteen students 
enrolled. It was poorly housed in a small building, inade- 
quately equipped and cared for, the Cinderella of the 
Brookline school system. It had been assumed, apparently 
without much contradiction, that the boys and girls who 
intended to go to Harvard, Radcliffe, and other colleges, 
would of course obtain their strictly preparatory educa- 
tion from private schools, of which there were many in the 
vicinity. In fact, some of the leading citizens of Brook- 
line argued that the public responsibility for the educa- 
tion of children ought to end with the grammar schools. 

Mr. Button's first report developed a very different 
picture of high school education. He urged that "the 
equipment and facilities of the school be made equal to 
the best, ... so that no parent will think of sending his 
children elsewhere to be educated." 

His first step was to place in the headmastership of the 
high school, in 1892, his friend, Mr. Daniel S. Sanford, a 
Yale graduate who had begun his preparation for college 
in Mr. Dutton's South Norwalk high school, and who, 
after graduation, was associated for a year with Dutton's 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 45 

friend, Carroll, in Oil City, but who was now principal 
of the high school in Stamford, Conn. 

The second step was the organization of a strong social 
force in Brookline to cooperate with the schools and to 
work for their betterment. This was, of course, the essen- 
tial Dutton theory of the school and the community, but 
he won a greater success with it in Brookline than in any 
other place. 

In his judgment an assured social recognition for 
teachers as members of a profession was one of the first 
needs of the school and of the community, too. In the 
language of one of his chiefs of staff at this period, "No 
matter what persons of distinction were present at any 
public function, or how absorbed Mr. Dutton himself 
might be in meeting people of social standing, at no time 
did he fail to bring forward his teachers, perhaps the 
latest accessions to his force, and present them to the 
more distinguished persons. He did this so genially as to 
remove all embarrassment and to make the teachers feel 
quite at ease. In many places public school teachers have 
felt at times on the defensive, if not as belonging to an 
inferior social class. It was not so in Brookline." 

In the winter of 1895 there was a reception to all teach- 
ers in the Brookline schools, given by the president of the 
Board of Education, Mr. Prentiss Cummings, at his home 
on Aspinwall Hill. At this meeting was planted the germ 
which grew to rapid fruition in the ensuing spring. 

On March 13, 1895, at the residence of Mrs. Joshua 
Crane, there was an initial meeting of fifty citizens in- 
vited to consider the formation of an organization to 
secure more united action among forward-looking people 
in the community, and especially to bring schools and 
homes into closer sympathy. Mr. Dutton, Mr. Sanford 



46 SAIVIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

and Dr. Walter Channing made the Introductory speeches, 
to which the company responded with enthusiasm. As 
Mr. Sanford remarked to Mr. Button, the next morning, 
"They all went in, and they went in all over." The next 
meeting, May 8, 1895, was an organization meeting, and 
resulted in the birth of the Brookline Education Society 
with one hundred original members. 

Between this society and the antecedent "Public Educa- 
tion Societies" of New York, Brooklyn and Philadelphia, 
there was at least one essential difference. They grew out 
of attempts to locate and remedy defects in the local 
schools, and to ventilate grievances. Fortunately, no 
such purpose was evident in Brookline. The Brookline 
Education Society was not intended to antagonize any- 
thing. It was strictly forward looking and its watchword 
was cooperation for progress. 

Buring that same year, 1895, a new high school build- 
ing was in process of construction and it was dedicated 
on the 19th of November. Fully equipped, it represented 
an expenditure of $225,000. Buring the summer of 1895 
Mr. Button was one of a party of friends that went to 
Europe, in company with Mr. William H. Lincoln. Mr. 
Button and Mr. Sanford were Mr. Lincoln's steamer 
guests. They visited England, Germany and France. In 
Paris Mr. Button and Mr. Lincoln had the joint pleasure 
of selecting suitable pictures and decorations for the new 
high school. 

The first regular meeting of the new society was held 
in the new high school assembly hall, November 25, 1895.*^ 
The first president of the society was Br. Walter Chan- 
ning. Charles K. Bolton was secretary and treasurer, and 
additional members of the executive committee were Mrs. 

1 Charles K. Bolton: "Brookline, the history of a favored town." 
C. A. W. Spencer, Brookline, 1897. 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 47 

Joshua Crane, Judge James R. Dunbar, Samuel T. 
Button, Miss Martha Hopkins, and Mrs. Henry M. 
Whitney. The membership of the society rapidly in- 
creased to about six hundred. It was able to command 
funds and to belt a fine flow of energy to the schools and 
to the community as well. Outsiders looked on in amaze- 
ment to see the elite of Boston's richest suburb, lawyers, 
bankers, clergymen, doctors, artists, captains of industry, 
yes, and their wives and daughters, flocking together at 
regular intervals with grocers, plumbers, butchers, arti- 
sans and their wives, and all working side by side to render 
some personal voluntary service to the public schools ! 
They had paid their taxes for the support of the schools, 
but they had become convinced that they must recognize 
an additional responsibility ! They tried seriously to 
accept Pestalozzi's invitation, "Come, let us live with our 
children." There was a fine religious fervor about the 
initial enthusiasm of many members, which caused Mr. 
Button's successor, who never pitched his tent so far up 
the heights, to refer rather disdainfully to the earlier days 
of the Education Society as "an educational orgy." The 
Society was organized in nine active standing committees 
upon these topics: 1. Child Study. 2. Lectures. 3. Art. 
4. Music. 5. Science. 6. Physical Training. 7. School 
Libraries. 8. History. 9. Finance. 

Courses of lectures were maintained under the auspices 
of Committees Nos. 2 and 8, while Committee No. 4 con- 
ducted young people's concerts in school buildings — espe- 
cially in neighborhoods where good music was not often 
heard — free organ recitals, and open-air band concerts on 
the Common, which were welcomed by thousands of people. 
A People's Singing Class was formed under the charge of 
an accomplished musician. It was practically a free class 



48 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

and for all these benefactions the committee found the 
funds. 

Under the impulse of the Committee on Art, Brookline 
school buildings were decorated with appropriate works 
of art to the value of $6,000, and for two weeks in 1897 
the school children and their parents enjoyed a magnifi- 
cent loan exhibition of paintings, drawn from the extensive 
private collections owned by residents of the town. The 
first committee of the Education Society conducted 
mothers' meetings. The committee on history published 
several interesting tracts about local history and bulletins 
about excursions to historically famous places around 
Boston. It placed in all school buildings copies of a 
historical map of the town, and it maintained a series of 
afternoon lectures on Civil War history. The fifth com- 
mittee placed before the children illustrated literature 
on scientific subjects, tried to encourage interest in popu- 
lar science at home, and collected household statistics on 
heating and lighting in order to facilitate more economic 
housekeeping. The committee on school libraries worked 
to have a special room set apart in the public library for 
students in the schools, with a school librarian in charge. 
Later, a tenth committee was formed, called the Portfolio 
Committee, whose pleasure it was to secure pictures to be 
mounted and arranged for use in classes in history and 
geography. 

The first meetings of the Education Society discussed 
such subjects as "Home Care of Children," "The Reading 
of Children," "Home Study and Recreation," and "What 
Should College Do for Our Girls?" The bulletins of the 
society were neatly printed pamphlets, devoted chiefly to 
educational questions and sometimes well illustrated. 
These pamphlets were in demand among educators, and 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 49 

the Brookline Education Society became famous. Upon 
its model about fifty other societies were formed in various 
places. Thus the tremendous influence that it exerted at 
home was not without its reflex action upon other com- 
munities. In passing, it may be noted that this society 
still lives and moves, though it functions in these later 
years chiefly in the spirit of a Good Government and 
Social Service Club.^ 

In Mr. Button's report for 1896, in addition to a pic- 
ture of the handsome high school building, he drew again 
his word picture of his ideal town high school, "a people's 
university, an educational, literary, and art center" for 
the whole community. The student body in the high 
school in that year numbered two hundred and eighty, as 
many boys as girls. In the following year there were three 
hundred and fifty students enrolled. 

By a stroke of good fortune and good management com- 
bined, the town erected a superb natatorium upon grounds 
adjacent to those of the high school. This made it pos- 
sible to add instructors in swinuning to the high school 
stafl" and to include that exercise in the physical educa- 
tion of all high school students. 

In 1897 Mr. Button proudly drew attention to the 
cleanliness and attractiveness of the two largest school- 
houses in town which, he said, "look like well-kept private 
houses," and acknowledged the good offices of the ladies 
on the School Board who had kept in touch with the staif 
of janitors. 

He also recounts how the sight and hearing of all pupils 
have been tested under the direction of experts, with excel- 

1 In 1916 its name was changed to "Brookline Civic Society." It 
still maintains exhibitions of Fine and Applied Arts and concert pro- 
grams of high-class music. 



50 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

lent results, and rejoices that practically every primary 
school in Brookline includes a kindergarten, that nature 
study of animals in the winter months can be based on 
observation of the living animals, that the Wm. H. Lin- 
coln School has laboratories for physics and chemistry — 
"very unusual in a grammar school" — and that in the 
five regular grammar schools both French and Latin can 
be studied. 

These experiments in education, particularly the last 
named and some of the objective work, did not escape the 
animadversions of unfriendly critics. Citizens who did not 
believe in college preparatory education at the public 
expense were even less likely to approve of Latin in a 
grammar grade. Some conservatives grumbled at the 
superintendent's interest in manual training and in what 
they called "fads and frills" in the schools. Mr. Button, 
however, was strong in the support of the Education 
Society and of the great majority of influential people 
in the whole region roundabout. 

Quickly responsive as he was to every expression of 
opinion, Mr. Button was always keenly conscious of 
criticism and of its causes, but he had acquired the habits 
of moderation and self-control which he had recom- 
mended to his classmates at their sexennial, and in which 
he tried to school himself. Thus, in the spring of 1893 we 
find him jotting down, chiefly for his own behoof, such 
reflections as these: 

"As I grow older, I feel the need of calmness and 
deliberation. I have to cultivate the repose that, in old 
age, will grow into serenity and peace. To grow old grace- 
fully and contentedly is worthy of our seeking. I trust 
my hardest battles in life have been fought, and that I can 
round out and complete my work without fret and irri- 
tation." 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 51 

Correlative activities to those of the Education Society 
were placed within Mr. Button's reach by the nearness of 
Brookline to Boston. Eager as he always was for multi- 
plied mental contacts, he was ready to utilize many 
resources that the larger city possessed. He became in 
1893 a charter member of the well-known Twentieth Cen- 
tury Club of Boston. As chairman of its education com- 
mittee, he was instrumental in starting the "Saturday 
Morning Lectures," held at first in the club rooms, later 
in Jacob Sleeper Hall of Boston University, and finally 
compelled by popularity to take refuge in Tremont Tem- 
ple, as an established Boston institution. 

Mr. Dutton's best hope when he first planned these 
courses, was that they would bring what he considered 
"University Lectures" within the reach of the teachers 
not only of Brookline but also of Greater Boston. His 
lists of lectures included prominent educators from 
Europe as well as from America. So well was his effort 
appreciated that teachers attended them from places as 
far distant as Springfield and Fall River. The audience 
at its maximum numbered more than three thousand, and 
this too — be it remembered — in a community reputed to 
be already saturated with lecturing. 

In 1896 he was appointed lecturer on pedagogy at Har- 
vard University, and he had charge of Professor Hanus's 
classes in that subject while the latter took his sabbatical 
year in 1898. During the three years, 1896-1899, he lec- 
tured also at Boston University, Chicago University, 
Wellesley College, and Vassar College, and edited school 
text-books for the Morse Company. 

Out of the material provided by his lectures and other 
public addresses and by the experience of the Brookline 
Education Society he prepared his first book, which was 



52 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

published by the Macmillan Company in April, 1899, with 
the title, "Social Phases of Education in the School and 
the Home." The book is dedicated to "those teachers and 
parents whose interest in the child leads them to inquire, 
not only, what lessons is he learning, but also, what life 
is he living?" 

The principal thesis of the book is in the following sen- 
tence: "The object of the school is to socialize the child." 
The author's quotations show that he had been deeply 
impressed by the thought of William T. Harris, and he 
makes telling use of the Scripture verse, "I came that 
ye might have life, and that ye might have it more abund- 
antly." He voices his admiration for the methods and 
principles of Froebel, and, in discussing "education as a 
cure for crime," he finds in the kindergarten training a 
power for redemption. He lingers over his favorite topic 
of "the correlation of educational forces in the com- 
munity," and classifies those forces as church, home, 
school, public library, newspaper, art museum, music, the 
civil organization in community and state, commerce and 
applied science. He illustrated these subjects by a chap- 
ter describing the work of the Education Society. He 
defines also "the relation of education to vocation" and 
stresses a very liberal judgment of the educational place 
and value of industrial training. 

The life of the Duttons in Brookline was coincident with 
the beginning and development of an intimate family 
experience which deserves a brief mention in this record. 
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Dutton had been childless. 
Shortly after they came to Brookline to live, they became 
interested in the fate of two little girls, sisters, who had 
been orphaned, and needed protection and care. They 
were of excellent and well-known lineage, and Mr. Dutton 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 53 

was strongly in favor of a proposal to adopt them both, 
believing that adults need 3'^oung life around them in the 
home as much as the children need the guidance and love 
of their elders. Therefore in the autumn of 1891, Maude 
and Lillian Upson, aged respectively eleven and eight 
years, became in due legal form, Maude and Lillian Dut- 
ton, and a new family life began, which, as all who came 
and went could see, was ideally happy. The Duttons 
never for an instant regretted the assumption of new 
responsibilities, from which indeed they reaped a rich 
reward, and the girls grew up to womanhood, enjoying 
and responding worthily and abundantly to a truly 
parental affection. 

In the summer of 1892, the family quartet all went over 
the sea to England and thence to Scandinavia. For Mr. 
Dutton the trip was a combination of pleasure with busi- 
ness. He had become interested in the so-called Sloyd 
method of manual training, and wanted to investigate it 
in its own home in Sweden, to see whether it should be 
introduced into Brookline schools. The family therefore 
betook themselves to Naas, Sweden, where Mr. Dutton 
had expected to "observe" for only a week or so. Per- 
ceiving that the somewhat patriarchal management of the 
school had no place for observers but expected everyone on 
the grounds to be a worker, Mr. Dutton promptly enrolled 
himself as a student of Sloyd for a three weeks' term. It 
was real labor for him, as he had little natural aptitude 
for such handwork, but he put his best effort into it, and 
took all the constructive work he could get, from meat- 
skewers to hammer-helves, and came home satisfied that 
much of it was desirable for his own schools. 

Thoroughly convinced of the educational value of per- 
sonal acquaintance with European life and culture, Mr. 



54 SMIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Dutton was determined to give his daughters the full bene- 
fit of such an experience. Such a plan became feasible in 
1898, and it was determined that Mrs. Dutton and the 
girls should spend the whole scholastic year of 1898-1899 
in Europe, chiefly in France and* Germany, and that Mr. 
Dutton should plan to join them in the summer of 1899 
and escort them home again. At the beginning of Sep- 
tember, 1898, therefore, Mr. Dutton waved good-bye to 
his family from the steamboat dock in New York, and then 
turned back to a busy but lonesome year in Brookline. 
"I hope," he wrote to his wife, "to grow very much this 
year, and to know myself better because of the hours when 
I am alone with myself." 

October of this year brought along his forty-ninth 
birthday and the anniversary suggested self-communion. 
He wrote to his "dear Parisians" : 

"I have been blessed with health and strength and large 
opportunities for work. If I have not used well all my 
endowment and have not accomplished all that I ought, it 
is no one's fault but my own. I like to think that in the 
next few years I can do much better than I have in the 
past, for I am not willing to accept the idea that a man 
at my age must necessarily stop growing, and simply use 
what he has acquired." 

These courageous anticipations were fully realized. This 
year of domestic solitude was the busiest year of his life 
thus far. The schools of Brookline had become as famous 
as were the Quincy schools a decade earlier. Visitors 
from near and far were continually asking to see them, 
and when a Johns Hopkins professor declared that the 
Brookline school system was the best in the United States, 
Mr. Dutton answered, "Then we must keep it so." More- 
over, he was increasingly in demand as an itinerant 
missionary of the new education. As he wrote to his 
family in December, "I am still going like a buzz saw." 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 55 

In addition to his training class of from twenty to 
twenty-five young college women, and his public lecture 
courses in Boston and his Education Society at home, he 
was delivering addresses on his favorite topics at many 
places not only in New England but also in the Middle 
West. For example at the end of March, 1899, he lec- 
tured in Pittsburgh on a Friday evening and again on 
Saturday morning. The next Monday and Tuesday he 
was in Philadelphia, making a detailed examination of the 
Penn Charter School, which the trustees of that school 
had employed him to do, as an educational expert. He 
also devoted a half day to the inspection of the Eastern 
penitentiary at Philadelphia. In the treatment of delin- 
quents he was deeply interested, regarding it as essen- 
tially an educational problem. He talked with several con- 
victs, among them with one man who had almost completed 
his term, and expected to go back to his family after five 
days. "Do you wonder," wrote Mr. Button to his wife, 
"that I envied him?" 

On the following Thursday and Friday he was deliver- 
ing addresses at the University of Chicago and at Colonel 
Parker's Cook County Normal School at Englewood. Fri- 
day evening he was speaking at Paris, HI., and the next 
morning, at Terre Haute, Ind., he began a series of daily 
lectures which were to fill the following week. "As this," 
he remarks, "is to be rather a dignified proceeding, I think 
I will invest in a plug hat," 

After he returned from this western trip, he proved 
that he was observant of social as well as pedagogical 
phenomena by inditing to his family this word of coun- 
sel: "A terrible calamity has struck us hereabouts, and 
that is the return of long dresses that not only drag 
behind but touch all around, and the women go around 
holding them up with both hands, but often letting them 



56 SAJMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

drag- — to the injury of public health. I trust my family 
may not be infected with this epidemic." 

During the early months of the winter he prepared 
the manuscript of his "Social Phases" for publication, and 
wrote to Mrs. Dutton that the president of the Macmil- 
lan Company wanted him to follow that book with a vol- 
ume on "School SuperAdsion." He liked the variety of this 
work, and rejoiced in the glimpses into a larger world and 
in the widening circle of acquaintances. There is evidence 
that it would not satisfy him merely to keep the Brookline 
school system up to its measure of declared perfection. In 
December, 1898, he wrote to his wife: 

"I sometimes feel that my work in Brookline is done, 
and that I ought to take some new and more needy field 
and till it ; yet it is a pleasure to live and work here, and 
I know how much you and the girls would dislike to go 
away. . . . You must not think I am doing anything won- 
derful, for I am not. I have learned to make things go, 
and can usually find a method of doing so. That is about 
all. I want to do something good yet, and hope I may." 

And again in the following March, he said: 

"It is interesting to see how my book, my lectures, and 
the training class all help each other. I would like dur- 
ing the next five years to do enough book work so that 
I can give up superintending. I am a little tired of it, 
and, were it not for your desire to stay in Brookline, 
would find something else to do very soon." 

Obviously he was ready to take charge of a larger 
parish, and opportunity soon knocked at his door. His 
book appeared in April. On a Friday in the first week 
in May, Dean Russell of Teachers College in Colum- 
bia University walked into his office and asked permission 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 57 

to visit the schools. After spending the day in inspec- 
tion, Dean Russell invited Mr. Button to consider an 
appointment as Superintendent of the Horace Mann 
Schools, the model schools for observation by students in 
Teachers College, and to consider therewith a concomitant 
appointment as Professor of School Administration, a 
chair created in order to secure the benefit of his experi- 
ence for training Teachers College students in executive 
duties. It was also intimated that, in case of acceptance, 
his professorship might carry with it membership in the 
philosophical faculty of the University. A new building 
was to be erected and equipped for the Horace Mann 
Schools at a cost of $350,000,^ and Mr. Button was asked 
to come to New York as the guest of the University for 
the purpose of seeing the schools and of examining and 
criticising the plans for the new construction. 

Ample time was allowed for thought about this propo- 
sal, as the new building would not be ready for occupancy 
within a year or more. Reflection made the invitation 
appear increasingly attractive. 

The Buttons were fond of their beautiful home in Brook- 
line, and of their many good friends there. Mr. Button 
said, "I believe that most of the people in Brookline are 
with me," but he was keenly aware of the possibilities in 
New York, a city whose metropolitan character had 
always interested him and stimulated his imagination. 
There was the university association, the contact with 
mature students, the increased salary, the shorter school 
year, the charm of a sabbatical year for possible travel 
and study, and above all the escape from the elected boards 
of education and all the political entanglements therein 

1 This was all the gift of Mr. V. Everit Macy, one of the trustees, 
and of Mrs. Macy. 



58 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

implied. Professor Nicholas Murray Butler, who was 
then Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, expressed him- 
self as earnestly desirous that Mr. Button should accept 
the offer, and by June Mr. Button's letters show that his 
mind was practically made up. He wrote to Mrs. Button, 
June 7, 1899 : 

"I am a little tired of working in a place where all the 
men know nothing about the town, and care nothing for 
it except as a place to sleep in. Perhaps that puts it 
strongly, but it is not far from the truth. New York is 
becoming the center of the world — the metropolis — in 
almost every sense, and there is going to be a vast oppor- 
tunity there for educational work of a high order. After 
twenty-six years of service under public boards, I look 
with some longing to a position where one is compara- 
tively unfettered." 

It is possible that the last paragraph shows the deep- 
est underlying motive that impelled Mr. Button to con- 
sider the call of Teachers College with favor. His dearest 
ambition now was to organize social forces for educational 
service. He had already proved in Brookline and Boston 
that he could do this, and he greatly enjoyed the achieve- 
ment. New York, as he said, afforded the biggest stage 
in the country, perhaps in the world, on which to try the 
possibilities of cooperation for the public welfare. The 
Teachers College schools seemed to offer an opportunity 
to exhibit on that stage, under what looked like ideal con- 
ditions, a model school system in miniature, and the city 
roundabout supplied an unusual opportunity to test his 
theories of community education. 

Soon after reaching this conclusion in his own mind, 
at the end of the school year of 1899, Mr. Button went 
to Europe, rejoined his wife and daughters at Nurem- 
berg, and spent the summer with them in travel and sight- 



FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 59 

seeing. In the following year, although the erection of 
the Horace Mann buildings had been greatly delayed, 
Dean Russell renewed the proposal of removal to Colum- 
bia, and presented a formal invitation which Mr. Button 
promptly accepted. He and his household therefore bade 
farewell to Brookline in September, 1900, and turned their 
faces towards New York with good courage and high 
anticipation. 

While this call was still pending, and undoubtedly on 
account of it and of the merits of his recently published 
book, Mr. Button was invited by his Alma Mater Yale 
to appear at Commencement and receive the honorary 
degree of Master of Arts. Commencement Bay at New 
Haven in 1900 occurred on June 27th, and Samuel T. 
Button and Elihu Root were the honorary M. A. class 
of that year. To Button, whose memory recalled the 
struggles of 1869-1873, the event was a triumph indeed, 
and he wrote to his wife, "Yesterday was the greatest day 
I ever had except perhaps that of my wedding." 

He was presented for the degree by Bean Fisher with 
the following words of introduction: 

"I have the honor to present to you for the degree of 
Master of Arts, Mr. Samuel Train Button, who was 
graduated at Yale in 1873. Mr. Button after holding the 
post of superintendent of public schools in New Haven and 
subsequently at Brookline, Mass., has now been called to 
a professorship of school administration in Columbia 
University. He has served as lecturer on school super- 
vision at Harvard and has given at other colleges courses 
on the same theme. In a number of the larger cities and 
before educational societies he has been called upon to 
speak on particular topics connected with education. 
These topics he has likewise discussed in a volume of essays 
on *Social Phases of Education,' and in other publications. 



60 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"In Brookline he has organized a large and influential 
society to work for the realization of the highest ideals 
in the school and in the community, and he has established 
courses of weekly lectures of the same general character 
in Boston. 

"By other movements of the same nature he has kindled 
in various other communities a new zeal in behalf of the 
cause to which he has long been devoted. In the direct 
exercise of his official function he has initiated reforms, 
introducing, for example, at New Haven the kindergarten, 
manual training, and the domestic arts. Mr. Button has 
made special endeavors to unite the family, the church, 
and the different classes of citizens, as auxiliaries in the 
work of raising the standard of the secondary schools 
and of enlarging their province as a means of culture." 



CHAPTER III 

COLLEGE WORK AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 
1900—1914 

In September, 1900, Mr. Dutton faced a task at Teach- 
ers College, different from every other new work that he 
had undertaken. He was not called upon to rectify mis- 
takes of predecessors, to combat the prejudices of criti- 
cal partisans of another regime, or to rebuild an educa- 
tional system. 

The Teachers College was in the forefront of all 
progressive movements in education. It was entering upon 
that process of expansion in service and influence for 
which Dean Russell had tirelessly labored and planned 
with sagacity and unique administrative ability. 

The Horace Mann School was growing rapidly in repu- 
tation and in numbers, but was housed in cramped quar- 
ters in the college building. It was already well super- 
vised and admirably taught. It was not in any sense an 
independent school, for it was merely a department of 
Teachers College. The theory was, in 1900, that when 
the new professor of school administration was installed 
in his office, the students in Teachers College would have 
at hand for inspection and study a complete city school 
system under one roof, with an elementary school and a 
high school, each with its own principal, and, over all, a 
general superintendent. In order to link the school still 

more firmly to the college, each head of department in the 

61 



62 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

latter was supervisor of the corresponding department of 
instruction in the schools. The staff of the schools could 
not adopt a single text-book for use without the approval 
of the appropriate supervisor. 

The economic life of the schools was written as a chap- 
ter in the annual budget of the college. They must pay 
yearly to the college what amounted to an interest charge 
upon the sums invested, in the name of the college, in the 
plant and equipment used by the schools. Such arrange- 
ments would naturally predispose the college officers to 
scrutinize closely any proposed expenditures for the bene- 
fit of the Horace Mann School, and to place a high value 
upon its power as a producer of revenue. 

It is obvious that such a plan would evolve for the 
schools both distinct advantages and equally distinct 
drawbacks. Possibly one of the most perilous handicaps 
lay in the multiplicity of masters which the plan of organi- 
zation provided. The first task of the superintendent was 
to give an object lesson in harmonious cooperation for the 
development of rapidly growing schools. To Mr. Dutton 
a school was a failure unless its daily life was happy. To 
that end at Horace Mann he employed his great gifts of 
patience, humor, tact, and common sense, in order to allay 
and avoid friction, keep on good terms with all colleagues, 
permeate the teaching staff with the spirit of friendship 
and zeal, and crown the united effort at the end of a year 
with an assurance of satisfactory results. This task was 
not always an easy one. Ideal as so many of the condi- 
tions seemed to be — and actually were — they were by no 
means free from perplexities and discouragements. Some 
of them were the inevitable problems of personality, and 
some of them were institutional. 

The principal difficulty in the Horace Mann-Teachers 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 63 

College situation was inherent in the economic dependence 
of the school upon the college. In the nature of things, 
this defect could not be eliminated, but Mr. Button did 
not fail to emphasize and illustrate clearly the serious 
danger that the school might be judged too exclusively 
by its financial return, that salaries might be kept pared 
too near the quick, and that consequently good teachers 
might be tempted to use the school merely as a spring- 
board from which to leap into better positions. 

During the first eighteen months of his service his most 
engrossing duty was to oversee the completion and 
equipment of the magnificent new home of the Horace 
Mann school at the corner of Broadway and 120th street. 
This structure, fully equipped, was dedicated on the 5th 
of December, 1901. 

In the ensuing spring he was asked by Dean Butler to 
act with other professors belonging to the philosophical 
faculty in the examinations of the candidates for the doc- 
tor's degree from that department of the university. All 
candidates for higher degrees in education were enrolled 
also under the faculty of philosophy. Therefore, not 
long afterwards, by virtue of his chair in Teachers Col- 
lege Mr. Dutton was \formally assigned to membership in 
the university faculty of philosophy. 

It was Mr. Dutton's privilege, in that same first year 
of his superintendency, to announce a remarkable develop- 
ment of the schools under his charge. Before he came to 
New York, it was felt that the Horace Mann school, in 
which the pupils paid considerable tuition fees, could not 
in justice to itself serve all the needs of student teachers 
in the college, as a department for observation. A model 
school for practice had already been partly created out 
of what was originally a church kindergarten. In 1899, 



64 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Teachers College formally assumed control of this enter- 
prise, and organized it as an experimental elementary 
school, under the leadership of Miss Amy Schuessler, who 
had been one of the Horace Mann staif of teachers. Mr. 
Button's announcement was that, during the year, 1902, 
a perfectly equipped new building would be erected for 
this practice-school, through the generosity of Mr. and 
Mrs. James Speyer. Thus began what was to be known 
as the Speyer School, a free school in which, as Mr. But- 
ton said, students of Teachers College were permitted to 
render assistance, "not only in teaching but also in making 
the school distinctly a social center." ^ 

Most of Mr. Button's ideals of a socialized education 
were, under his eyes, visibly embodied in the Speyer School. 
Miss Schuessler was his devoted co-worker and her staff 
of teachers was equally loyal. The Speyer building 
became a school and social settlement combined. In 1904* 
Mr. Button assumed a closer personal control of the 
Speyer School than he had previously exercised. In the 
same year he announced the completion and dedication of 
a Physical Education building for the Teachers College 
and its schools. "At last," he wrote, "we have a complete 
and almost perfect plant." 

The Horace Mann School was still a model school for 
observation, and in the grades its curriculum was so 
planned that, in orderly sequence, each year's work 
recreated for and by the pupils a social situation. The 
Speyer School was "a complete and well managed school 
of experiment." In its building, beside the usual school- 
rooms, were a perfectly appointed gymnasium, a kitchen, 
a doctor's office, a library, clubrooms for boys and for 
girls, rooms for parents' meetings and for lectures, apart- 

1 Columbia University Quarterly, Vol. Ill, p. 24 (June, 1901), an 
article by Mr. Button, entitled "The Horace Mann School." 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 65 

ments for a Director of Social Work and resident teachers, 
and at the top of the house a roof garden. About the 
time when Mr. Dutton retired from Teachers College, the 
Speyer School was made a part of the New York City 
system. The college retained, however, the ownership of 
the building. This action was due to changes in Teachers 
College entrance requirements by which its students 
became for the most part a graduate body. They had 
acquired experience in teaching before coming to the col- 
lege, and were, therefore, less in need of practice work 
as a part of their advanced professional training. The 
school was also a drain upon the college revenues. 

All things conspired to make these schools increasingly 
famous — their unique housing, the prestige of Columbia 
and of Teachers College, the reputation of the superin- 
tendent, and the possession of exceptionally competent 
teachers. Within two years after the Horace Mann 
School entered its new building, its student body was twice 
as numerous as it had been in 1899. With nearly eleven 
hundred pupils in attendance in 1906, it was doubtless 
the largest private school in the country, probably in 
the world. When Mr. Dutton was in Brookline visitors 
from all parts of the nation had come to see him and to 
observe his schools. From the vantage point of Teachers 
College, his nation-wide educational influence became 
world-wide. 

In the words of the tribute which his son-in-law. Dr. 
Frederick Lynch, rendered to him at the time of his death : 

"He made Horace Mann School a model school for the 
whole world. Men came from every country to study it 
— even from China, Japan and India. When Arnold Ben- 
nett, upon his return to England, wrote his book on 
America, he took the Horace Mann School as the finest 



66 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

illustration of American school methods, devoting a whole 
chapter to the school. . . . Mr. Dutton interested him- 
self in making the music of Horace Mann beautiful, 
encouraging the students to form school orchestras and to 
study singing. Whenever he was in the city, he attended 
the morning devotional exercises of the school, and the 
singing by the hundreds of students greatly cheered him. 
He brought all the great men who came to New York, 
either from America or Britain, up to meet his thousand 
boys and girls and to address them. He believed it was 
a great educational influence in the lives of these boys and 
girls to see and to hear the men and women who were 
doing the thinking and the work of the world." 

To the teachers in the school the opportunity to see 
and hear so many famous people in the school assemblies 
was a boon, which they appreciated fully as much as the 
students did — or could. Mr. Button's acquaintance with 
people of distinction, already large when he came to New 
York, was greatly increased after he became an active 
promoter of international reform and a familiar iSgure 
on both sides of the Atlantic. The Horace Mann teachers 
of his day now recall with especial gratitude that Mr. 
Dutton seemed to make the windows of the school open 
out constantly not only to the local community and to the 
nation, but to the whole round world. 

In his college classes in school management Mr. Dutton 
met twice a week men and women who often had already 
had much pedagogical experience, and who hoped to fit 
themselves for executive positions in school systems. He 
was always happy when he was giving his personal atten- 
tion to young people seeking his counsel about their own 
problems, and hundreds of the present leaders in our col- 
leges and high schools sat under his instruction. Some 
of the more experienced of these students acted as his 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 67 

assistants when the classes grew large. During the years 
these classes included representatives of many lands and 
races. 

Out of the studies and discussions in this class, Mr. 
Dutton drew the material for the books on school super- 
vision which he had projected while still in Brookline. The 
first one, a book of two hundred and seventy-eight pages, 
was published by Scribner in 1903 under the title, "School 
Management: Practical suggestions concerning the con- 
duct and life of the school." In the preparation of the 
material for this volume Mr. Dutton was aided by one 
of his student-associates. Dr. Jesse D. Burks, during 1903 
acting principal of the Speyer School, and later well 
known as an eminent educator and efficiency engineer. 

This book was devoted to conditions of administration 
in any typical school. Mr. Dutton precisely defined his 
purpose as "to state in as concise and definite a form as 
possible the problems of school management, and to make 
helpful suggestions looking to their solution." After a 
general introductory discussion of the nature and scope of 
school management, he classified and considered the "prob- 
lems" under these heads: The Teacher; Growth of the 
Teacher ; Physical Conditions of the School ; Organization 
of the School ; Government of the School ; School Incen- 
tives; The Curriculum; The Daily Program; The Reci- 
tation ; Training Pupils to Study ; Reviews and Examina- 
tions; School Gardens; Playgrounds and Vacation 
Schools ; School and Community ; The School as a Social 
Center; Affiliated Interests (these are named as athletics, 
societies, the school paper, musical clubs, summer camp, 
and alumni association) ; and, finally, Supervision. The 
mere recital of these topics suggests at once how the 
book would demonstrate Mr. Dutton's beliefs concerning 



68 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

the vital importance of the teacher's personality, the 
training of the child to self-expression, and the socializa- 
tion of the school community. 

When this work was published a succeeding volume was 
foreshadowed, which should deal with school administra- 
tion as a national problem, "in its historical, political, 
economic, and supervisory aspects." Five years elapsed 
before this second book was ready to see the light. In 
1908 it appeared under the Macmillan imprint, a portly 
looking volume of six hundred and fourteen pages, with 
the title, "Administration of Public Education in the 
United States." In the production of this book Mr. But- 
ton enjoyed the collaboration of another one of his ad- 
vanced students, Dr. David Snedden.^ Dr. Snedden was 
for a time an assistant to Prof. Dutton, and their names 
stand upon the title-page of the book as joint authors. 

This book at once became, and remained for some years, 
the authoritative publication upon its subject. It was a 
professional vade-mecum and an encyclopedic reference 
book, with a copiously illustrative bibliographical note at 
the end of each chapter. It treats of all governmental 
activities relating to education : first, of the national gov- 
ernment, second, of administrative systems in the various 
states, and finally, of local units of government, with espe- 
cial attention to city systems. There are chapters on 
the financing of public education, on building school- 
houses, on procuring supplies of all kinds and text-books 
also, and on the superintendent and his staff. The search- 
light falls on supervisory responsibilities in each grade of 

1 Dr. Snedden had already had a distinguished success as an edu- 
cator in California. He was an adjunct professor of education in 
Columbia University from 1905 to 1909. He received the degree of 
Ph. D. in education at Columbia in 1907. For seven years he was 
State Commissioner of Education in Mass., and he is now again at 
Columbia as Professor of Education. 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 69 

teaching from the kindergarten up, with separate chapters 
upon administration in high schools, in normal schools, 
in physical education, in vocational education, in eve- 
ning and continuation schools, in correctional education, 
and in the education of defectives and subnormals. There 
is a discuf sion of compulsory education and child-labor 
laws, and a study of educational statistics. One chapter 
deals with the subject of discipline in schools, and another 
introduces Mr. Dutton's favorite topic of school and 
society. The later issues of the work contain also a con- 
cluding chapter on the administration of moral education. 

There is evidence that Mr. Button for a little while was 
keenly aware of the relative insignificance of one new atom 
in the ceaseless whirl that is New York. He looked back 
at the compact little world of Brookline, and lamented 
the difficulty of finding such an "agreeable society" in the 
metropolis, but added, "as time goes on, I trust we may 
have a pleasant circle here of those on whom we can count 
as our friends." He was heartened by finding in the new 
League for Political Education Dr. Robert Erskine Ely, 
whom he had known as secretary of the Prospect Union 
at Cambridge, Mass., and after a "pleasant chat" with 
another old friend, Dr. Felix Adler, he remarked, "Gradu- 
ally I hope to make connections with many interesting 
things here in New York." His modest hope was more 
than realized, and that rapidly. 

The kindly hospitalities of President Seth Low and Mrs. 
Low, and of Dean Russell and Mrs. Russell speedily made 
the Duttons acquainted with their new colleagues. Miss 
Grace H. Dodge, then, and for many years after, trustee 
and treasurer of Teachers College, was especially helpful 
to Mr. Dutton and evinced sympathy with his plans and 
purposes in more fields than one. Within the first year 



70 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

the Duttons felt themselves surrounded with sympathetic 
friends and with more and more inviting opportunities 
both within and without the University circle. Near the 
close of his first year in New York he was invited to give 
an address at one of the famous Lake Mohonk Conferences. 
Thus early he learned to know Mr. Albert K. Smiley, and 
the remarkable circle of forward-looking men and women, 
whom the latter drew around himself upon his beautiful 
mountain top. 

In 1904 Mr. Dutton had to complete plans for the fur- 
ther education of his daughters. The elder daughter, 
Maude Barrows Dutton, who was graduated in 1903 from 
Smith College, had displayed decided literary interests 
and ability throughout her college course. As a result 
of her sojourn in Europe in 1899, she had with the author's 
permission translated Weingartner's study of "The 
Symphony Since Beethoven" into English,^ and it was pub- 
lished by Ditson in the year of her graduation. 

The younger daughter's health was too delicate to 
endure the strain of regular college work, so it was decided 
that she with her mother should spend the year 1904-1905 
in Europe, and that she should apply herself to the study 
of music, art, and languages. In the summer of 1904 Mr. 
Dutton went to Europe with his wife and younger daugh- 
ter, and saw them domiciled in Munich. Then he returned 
home by way of Berne, Switzerland, where he attended an 
international conference upon Drawing and Art in schools, 
and gave an address on drawing as an educational factor. 
His thesis was that the correlation of drawing with the 
other studies in a school curriculum is only a reflection 

1 This was a translation of the second German edition of "Die 
Symphonie nach Beethoven," published at Leipzig. 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 71 

of its correlation with the social and economic progress 
of the people in the community roundabout.^ 

Upon his return to America it was finally determined 
that the elder daughter should join her mother and sister 
in Munich, which she did in December, and that Mr. Dut- 
ton should try to complete his college and school work by 
the end of March and go himself to Europe in April for 
a six months' vacation. This program was carried out. 
The family was reunited in Naples, visited here and there 
in Italy, went through the Dolomites to Vienna, and con- 
cluded the summer with three weeks in Oberammergau, 
where they witnessed the play of King David. 

In the correspondence between Mr. Dutton and the 
absent members of his family, during the autumn and 
winter of 1904-05, occurs the first evidence of an interest 
in the international peace movement. In October, 1904, 
the thirteenth Universal Peace Congress was held in Bos- 
ton. It does not appear that he attended the congress, 
but his friend, Miss Dodge, and her brother, Cleve- 
land H. Dodge, were members of the General Committee 
that managed the meeting. The foreign delegates to the 
Congress came to New York and were entertained by Miss 
Dodge in the kindergarten room of Teachers College. 
Mr. Dutton was present. 

During this summer and fall of 1904 Miss Maude Dut- 
ton was busily engaged upon two school reading books 
to be called the World at Work Series, and to be pub- 
lished by the American Book Company. In the prepara- 

1 One of the Americans instrumental in arranging for this con- 
ference, was Miss Mary C. Wheeler, the head of a prominent private 
school in Providence, R. I. She was accustomed to seek Mr. Dutton 
for advice concerning her own school and was in hearty sympathy 
with his ideals of education. It was Miss Wheeler who induced him 
to take a place upon the program at Berne. A comprehensive report 
of this conference was written by Mr. Dutton and printed in the 
Educational Review for March, 1906. 



72 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

tion of these books Mr. Button collaborated with his 
daughter, and they were published under his name as 
editor. These books appeared in 1905. In the first one, 
entitled "Hunting and Fishing," the names of Sarah M. 
Mott and Maude Barrows Button are joined upon the 
title page with that of the editor. The second volume, 
"In Fields and Pastures" was a purely Button produc- 
tion. In the third and last of the series, "Trading and 
Exploring," which was published some years later. Miss 
Agnes Vinton Luther was associated with Mr. Button and 
his daughter. 

Some other interesting sidelights are reflected in the 
letters of this period. Mr. Button was evidently pleased 
to report to his wife (October 6, 1906) that a Japanese 
scholar in the service of his Government had translated 
Mr. Button's "School Management" into the Japanese 
language. 

It appears also that Mr. Button, as chairman of the 
music committee in his church, had helped to establish a 
greatly improved choir, and that, after a heart-to-heart 
talk with his fellow deacons and the pastor, he had secured 
a revision of the Sunday morning order of worship, which 
increased and emphasized its devotional character. 

Impelled by a wish to study ministerial methods, Mr. 
Button sampled the preaching from various pulpits. In 
the course of time he reached the Unitarian Church where 
his friend. Merle St. Croix Wright, preached. Those who 
know to what lofty intellectual summits Mr. Wright led 
his fortunate auditors will particularly appreciate the 
concluding sentence of Mr. Button's report of the experi- 
ence: 

"February 19, 1905. I enjoyed the service at Mr. 
Wright's. He is intensely human, ethical, and practical. 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 73 

You miss the names, God and Jesus, in his sermon, but in 
the singing they appear. He is a thinker and compels 
your attention. Some of my brain-cells that are almost 
out of service were called into action this morning, and 
it was like an intellectual and ethical bath." 

Feeling the social pulse in the world around him, Mr. 
Dutton naturally thought first how to connect its power 
with the Teachers College schools. His theory of mutual 
helpfulness between teachers and parents had been mar- 
velously exemplified in the Brookline Education Society'. 
He moved promptly to create a similar social environment 
for his latest charge. There were those who tried to dis- 
courage him. They pointed out that the modern Baby- 
lon was no compact little homogeneous society like that 
in Brookline. They urged that, amid the manifold dis- 
tractions of metropolitan life, the patrons of the Horace 
Mann School would reject the idea that their responsi- 
bility for the school went beyond the payment of tuition 
bills, and would not welcome an invitation to find room 
for another periodical engagement of a distinctly serious 
nature. 

But Mr. Dutton had, as usual, the full courage of 
his convictions. He brought together a group of teachers 
from different divisions of the University and a group of 
parents and friends interested in the School. He saw to 
it that the project at the outset received strong social 
support. He lost no opportunity to bring it to the favor- 
able attention of influential patrons of the school. The 
result was the formation of a society called The Round 
Table. Its first meetings were in the kindergarten room 
of Teachers College. Soon it needed larger halls. Its 
membership grew by leaps and bounds, as the membership 
of the Brookline Society had grown. Eminent citizens 



74 SAIVIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

were its presiding officers and some equally eminent citi- 
zens gave at each meeting an address which was followed 
by a lively debate from the audience. A speech by Presi- 
dent Eliot of Harvard in December, 1904, gave to the 
society great publicity, and it became for nearly two 
decades an influential social and intellectual assembly in 
the Columbia University world. It was the most repre- 
sentative institution of its class in Manhattan. Its career 
ended in 1918, only when it became evident that its pur- 
poses were being realized by a newer university organiza- 
tion, the Institute of Arts and Sciences. 

In the winter of 1904-05, Mr. Button also set himself 
to produce a replica of the more intimate little clubs, 
which, in both Boston and New Haven, had meant so much 
to him. In conjunction with a few friends, George W. 
Kirchwey, then Dean of the Columbia Law School, John 
Martin, Walter Hines Page, and Charles H. Levermore, 
he started a fortnightly luncheon club, which, like many 
other similar organizations in New York, aiTorded the best 
possible milieu for friendly and unrestricted discussion. 
Among its other members were Bishop Lines of Newark, 
Mr. George Haven Putnam, Rev. Dr. John P. Peters, 
Professor John Bates Clark, Mr. George A. Plimpton 
and Rev. Dr. Merle St. Croix Wright. The club continued 
until broken up by the prolonged absences of Messrs. Dut- 
ton and Page in Europe. 

About the time that Mr. Dutton was launching the 
Round Table into the full tide of success and was becom- 
ing acquainted with the idealists and philosophers who 
gathered at Lake Mohonk, he made his first definite com- 
mitments in affairs on the other side of the world. Mr. 
Dutton had allied himself with the Manhattan Congre- 
gational Church on the west side of New York, and was 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 75 

for a time one of its deacons. To a meeting of the women's 
guild of that church in 1903 came Dr. Mary Mills Pat- 
rick, president of the American College for Girls at Con- 
stantinople, in order to present the needs and possibilities 
of that institution. Mrs. Dutton, who was present, had 
heard Dr. Patrick tell her story in Boston some years 
before and had been deeply impressed by it. Mrs. Dut- 
ton's interest in the education of women in the Near East 
was immediately rekindled, and she brought about between 
Dr. Patrick and Mr. Dutton a meeting, which proved to 
be the starting point of the latter's lifelong interest in 
the college and in all near-Eastern questions. Soon after 
at a Round Table meeting where the presidents of Mt. 
Holyoke and Wellesley colleges were the speakers, and 
where Mr. Dutton presided, he called upon Dr. Patrick, 
who was present, to speak also. Her remarks served to 
concentrate his attention still more upon the strategic 
value of higher education for women in the Turkish empire. 

The college then had the status of a mission school, 
although it was incorporated as a college as early as 1890. 
It was supported by the efforts of a Women's Board which 
was itself auxiliary and subordinate to the American 
Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The mem- 
bers of the Women's Board were resident chiefly in Bos- 
ton, where the enterprise had been born in 1871. 

Dr. Patrick was convinced that the college was going 
towards a great future of influence in the Near East. To 
this end she aspired to transform it into a college upon 
the usual American model, supported by tuitions and sub- 
scriptions and governed by a board of trustees independ- 
ent of control by a missionary board. It was evident that 
appeals for funds in the United States, and for recogni- 
tion in Turkey, could be more effectively made by an 



76 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

institution standing alone on its own feet. Dr. Patrick 
had already secured the sympathy and support of Dr. 
Charles Cuthbert Hall, an influential Presbyterian min- 
ister, who had become president of Union Theological 
Seminary. Mr. Dutton recognized the opportunity for a 
great service. He engaged at once with Dr. Patrick and 
Dr. Hall in 1 903-04 in the selection and organization of 
a New York Advisory Committee to cooperate with the 
Women's Board in Boston. This New York Committee 
was so constituted as to enlist powerful support for the 
college at the outset. Its first members were Rev. Dr. 
Charles Cuthbert Hall and his wife, Miss Grace H. Dodge 
and Mrs. Henry Villard, Rev. Dr. James S. Dennis, Sam- 
uel T. Dutton, Robert Erskine Ely, Titus B. Meigs, 
George A. Plimpton, Oscar S. Straus, and James Wood. 
Rev. Dr. Hall was chairman of the Committee. 

In 1907-09, Dr. Patrick spent the greater part of the 
two years in this country, trying to raise money for the 
new buildings. Convinced that the New York Committee 
could be the more efficient in this campaign, the Women's 
Board in Boston consented to make way for Dr. Patrick's 
vision of an independent college. In 1908 the college was 
thus reincorporated with a new charter under a Board of 
Trustees of which Dr. Hall was the first President, and 
with him stood Mr. Dutton and about half the mem- 
bership of the New York Committee. Dutton's Yale class- 
mate, Leonard Boyce of Chicago was also a member. In 
1909 Dr. Hall died, and after a short interval Miss Dodge, 
who had been a vice-president, was chosen president of the 
Board. Between her and Mr. Dutton there was uninter- 
rupted agreement and sympathy. 

From the time of the formation of the New York Com- 
mittee the welfare of Constantinople College was very 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 77 

close to Mr. Button's heart. His educational experience 
and position and acquaintance in this country made hira 
the natural representative of Dr. Patrick for the selection 
of suitable teachers to fill positions in the faculty. There- 
fore he became chairman of the Trustees' Committee on 
Instruction. As educational adviser, as solicitor of funds, 
and finally as treasurer also (in 1914), he was by far the 
most active trustee that the college had, and bore a burden 
of responsibility comparable only to that which the Presi- 
dent herself sustained. 

Within a year after he became treasurer of the Ameri- 
can College for Girls at Constantinople, he enlisted in the 
service of a similar institution on the opposite side of 
Asia. For many years teachers and students of Teachers 
College had taken a sort of elder-brotherly interest in 
Canton Christian College at Canton, China. It was their 
custom to raise money for its support, and graduates of 
Canton College who wished to continue their education in 
the United States, naturally found their way to Colum- 
bia University and Teachers College. Some of Mr. But- 
ton's friends and colleagues drew him into the Canton 
College circle. He was elected a trustee of the college in 

1912 and served for many years as chairman of the execu- 
tive committee. In 1913, he was chosen vice-president, 
but, three years later, declined a promotion to the presi- 
dency. However, his active interest in the college and his 
membership in the Board continued until his death. In 

1913 it was through his influence that the late Willard 
D. Straight accepted election as a trustee, and became a 
most helpful friend to the college until his untimely death, 
December 1, 1918. 

In accepting appointment to the Board, Mr. Dutton 
wrote to the Secretary, Dr. Grant : 



78 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"I am afraid Dr. Smith came after me at a moment 
when I had not the courage to refuse to cooperate with 
him and with the rest of you in the great work which your 
college is doing. I am not sure that I ought to undertake 
to serve on the Board, but if there are not too many meet- 
ings, and you will be somewhat lenient with me for a year 
or two until I have a little more time, I think I can per- 
haps undertake this service. I certainly appreciate the 
honor of being asked to become a trustee, and trust that 
I may be useful in some ways." 

Useful he was. He was always sympathetically inter- 
ested in the new teachers going out from America, and in 
the plans of those on furlough who wanted to study. In 
the financial administration of the rapidly growing col- 
lege he was not only a genial and helpful counselor, but 
was ready also to bear his personal share, sending in a 
modest contribution with such a note as this, "I do not 
feel quite right to be a trustee of so good an institution 
without contributing a little toward the expenses." 

Mr. Dutton also became intimately concerned with the 
welfare of two New England schools of preparatory grade. 
While he was living in Brookline, one of his former staff 
of Principals of New Haven grammar schools, Mr. Mark 
Pitman, retired from the public service and became the 
master of a boys' school in Wallingford, Conn. Later, Mr. 
and Mrs. William G. Choate of New York, having made a 
home for themselves in Wallingford, became interested in 
the development of the school, which subsequently received 
their name, and became known as the Choate School. 
Through his friend Pitman, Mr. Dutton became 
acquainted with the circumstances of the school and with 
Mr. and Mrs. Choate. The result was that, upon the 
death of Mr. Pitman, Mr. Dutton was asked by Mrs. 
Choate, who was most active in solicitude for the school, 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 79 

to act as educational adviser, or supervisor of the school, 
and for several years he directed its activities. The bet- 
ter to render such service, the Dutton household dwelt 
in Wallingford during a considerable part of the year of 
1906. During the spring and fall Mr. Dutton spent each 
week-end at Wallingford. He thus kept the school intact 
and energized for some time until a head-master could be 
found who would drive the school ahead under its own 
steam. 

With the other school, the Wheeler School and Library 
at North Stonington, Conn., Mr. Dutton's relations were 
similar but moi'e potent and permanent. In 1904, Mr. 
Henry Dwight Wheeler, a wealthy resident of New York 
but a native of Stonington and a summer resident in the 
old family homestead, decided to create an endowment 
fund for the support of an academy and public library in 
his native place. Together with his friend, Mr. Thomas 
B. Hewitt of Brooklyn, who also had a summer home at 
North Stonington, he started to form a group of trustees 
to administer the endowment. A neighbor to Mr. Wheeler 
and Mr. Hewitt in North Stonington was a Miss Main, 
who had been a member of Mr. Dutton's staff of teachers 
in Brookline. Knowing of the proposed benefaction, this 
lady urged her neighbor to secure the advice of her former 
chief, now at Teachers College. Her counsel was accepted, 
and she introduced Mr. Wheeler to Mr. Dutton in his office 
at the Horace Mann School. Mr. Dutton attended the 
first meeting of the Wheeler School Trustees in October, 
1904, and from that time until his death, he was the guid- 
ing spirit of the school, which was opened in the fall of 
1906. It was practically a town Tiigh school, conforming 
in type to that of the old-fashioned New England academy. 
Mr. Dutton selected teachers and head-masters, super- 



80 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

vised the course of study, and entered into the details of 
equipment and management. He became a familiar figure 
in North Stonington, and found a congenial spirit in Mr. 
Hewitt. 

The donor, Mr. Wheeler, died in New York early in 
September of 1906, and was buried in North Stonington, 
the trustees of his endowment acting as honorary pall- 
bearers. Mr. Dutton wrote to his wife, "I find that Mr. 
Wheeler was greatly beloved in Stonington, and that his 
life has been unselfish and heroic." 

Mr. Dutton supervised also the establishment of the 
library, which was started with four thousand volumes, 
brought from Mr. Wheeler's various homes. The Wheeler 
Trustees were also custodians of a fund of twenty thou- 
sand dollars which Mr. Wheeler left for the support of 
the little Congregational Church at North Stonington.^ 
Mr. Dutton found real delight in his services to the 
Wheeler endowments. The problem was less complex than 
that at Wallingford, and his associates upon the Board 
of Trustees always gave him an absolutely free hand. 

The organization of leading men and women in New 
York City to work for the prevention of wars and the 
establishment of international peace would perhaps not 
be classified as a strictly educational enterprise. But to 
Mr. Dutton, with his ideal of socialized education, it is 
reasonably certain that the New York Peace Society 
looked like a necessary bulwark for the preservation and 

1 It is interesting to find that the North Stonington farmers fell 
into the habit of compressing all church expenses, including salaries, 
within the income from this endowment, and paying practically noth- 
ing themselves. In 1912 Mr. Dutton interfered with this canny 
arrangement, told the deacons that the church ought to contribute a 
goodly sum every year, and succeeded in getting a substantial addi- 
tion to the minister's salary. 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 81 

development, not only of true culture at home, but also 
of Constantinople College and Canton Christian College 
abroad. The discussions at the Boston Peace Congress 
two years before, in 1904, had already arrested his atten- 
tion. He had become acquainted with advocates of peace 
and arbitration at Lake Mohonk conferences, and he, like 
many of his associates at the University, was a member 
of the American Peace Society, of which Dr. Benjamin 
Trueblood was secretary and editor of its journal. The 
Advocate of Peace. 

The offices of the society were then in Boston. Its fore- 
most speaker was Edwin D. Mead, with whom Mr. Dut- 
ton had been closely associated in the foundation of the 
Twentieth Century Club of Boston. One of Dutton's col- 
leagues at the University, Professor Ernst Richard, had 
been for a year or two at the head of an association 
of his countrymen, called "The German American Peace 
Society," whose announced purpose was the promotion 
of peaceful and fraternal relations among nations. Dr. 
Richard was eager to see this group used as a nucleus for 
a more inclusive organization for international good will. 
To Mr. Dutton and Dr. Richard and some others of the 
usual New York Delegation to the Mohonk conferences 
such as Dr. Charles E. Jefferson, Mr. Oscar S. Straus, 
Prof. John B. Clark, Dr. Frederick Lynch, and Mr. Ham- 
ilton Holt, the conviction came in the winter of 1905-06, 
that such an organization should be formed in New York 
City. Especially Mr. Straus encouraged Mr. Dutton to 
begin the work. 

The times were propitious for agitation against war as 
a method of settling international disputes, for the recent 
Russo-Japanese war followed by Japanese aggressions in 
Korea had awakened apprehension of more wars for the 



82 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

control of Asia. As early as October 1904, President 
Roosevelt and Secretary of State Hay, urged by peace- 
loving public opinion at home and abroad, began negotia- 
tions for the calling of a second Hague Conference. In 
September, 1905, one week after the signing of the Russo- 
Japanese peace treaty at Portsmouth, N. H., the United 
States Government gladly relinquished to the Czar the 
honor of inviting the nations to attend such a conference, 
which was held during the summer of 1907. The little 
group of peace advocates in the metropolis counseled 
together, and two meetings were held on January 23 and 
February 23, 1906, in the chapel of the Broadway Taber- 
nacle, at which upon the latter date, the Peace Society of 
the City of New York was formed. Its purposes were 
tersely defined in its constitution as "to foster the spirit 
of amity and concord among the nations, and to create 
a public sentiment that will lead to the abandonment of 
war as the means of settling international differences and 
disputes." Twenty-three persons subscribed their names 
as members. Hon. Oscar S. Straus was elected president 
and Samuel Dutton, secretary. A little later. Dr. Jeffer- 
son became chairman of the Executive Committee. The 
vice-presidents were Lyman Abbott, Truman J. Backus, 
R. Fulton Cutting, William R. Huntington, Henry W. 
MacCracken, John J. McCook, Joseph F. Mooney, Robert 
C. Ogden, George Foster Peabody, George Haven Put- 
nam, William Jay Schieffelin, Carl Schurz, Oswald Gar- 
rison Villard and Horace White. The Board of Directors 
included Charles H. Boynton, Leander T. Chamberlain, 
John Bates Clark, Hayne Davis, Robert Erskine Ely, 
John H. Finley, Algernon S. Frissell, Franklin H. Gid- 
dings, Hamilton Holt, Charles E. Jefferson, George W. 
Kirchwey, Henry M. Leipziger, Frederick Lynch, William 



COIXEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 83 

McCarroll, John Bassett Moore, Mary J. Pierson, Ernst 
Richard, Charles Sprague Smith, Anna Garlin Spencer, 
Leighton Williams, and Stewart L. Woodford. 

This imposing support was largely due to the efforts of 
Mr. Button, who threw all his soul into the work, and 
served as secretary and chief organizer without expecta- 
tion of financial compensation for himself. He was care- 
ful, however, to assure himself that the Teachers College 
executive would not object to his new engagements. Dr. 
Jefferson was a powerful coadjutor, and so were Dr. 
Lynch, Dean Kirchwey, and Hamilton Holt. Dr. Lynch 
especially aided Mr. Dutton in the secretarial work, which 
soon grew too large for the spare moments of one busy 
man. Within a twelvemonth the society had five hundred 
and ninety-two members. In the first five months of the 
year 1907 there were fifty-five public meetings held in New 
York City and vicinity under the auspices of the new 
society and addressed by one or more of its leaders. Of 
the six committees which went to work for the new society, 
two were concerned directly with an educational campaign 
among students, the committee on peace propaganda in 
colleges being headed by Chancellor MacCracken, and the 
committee on peace propaganda in schools by Andrew 
W. Edson. 

Near the end of the year, 1906, Mr. Straus accepted 
an appointment as Secretary of Commerce and Labor in 
President Roosevelt's cabinet, and consequently resigned 
the presidency of the Peace Society. The executive com- 
mittee agreed that Mr. Carnegie ought to be Mr. Straus's 
successor. He was already a life-member of the society. 
His devotion to the cause of international arbitration had 
been shown for twenty years. He had given five million 
dollars as a fund from which to reward "Heroes of Peace." 



84 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Among his other benefactions were a million and a half 
dollars for the Peace Palace at The Hague and nearly a 
million more for the Pan-American building at Washing- 
ton. His famous Rectoral address on "A League of 
Peace" had been delivered at the University of St. Andrews 
on October 17, 1905. Mr. Carnegie declined the first invi- 
tation of the Peace Society, but when a committee ^ of the 
society called upon him to renew the invitation, and urge 
his acceptance, he met them with a confession that his 
conscience had been tormenting him for his refusal, and 
that now he would accept the presidency and do his 
duty.^' 

From that moment and as long as he remained in full 
possession of vigor in mind and body, he regarded this 
organization as his society. The first great achievement 
of the new Peace Society was the first National Arbitra- 
tion and Peace Congress in America, held in New York 
City in Carnegie Hall, Hotel Astor, and Cooper Union, 
April 14-17, 1907. The first suggestion of this congress 
was made in Boston, but the New York Peace Society were 
the hosts and the managers. Of the special committee 
which carried the responsibility for the whole undertak- 
ing Mr. Dutton was chairman and Dr. Ely was secre- 
tary. Mr. Carnegie presided at the meetings. Nearly 
fifteen hundred delegates were present. Seventeen foreign 
countries were represented. The total attendance at the 
meetings was more than forty thousand. The conclud- 
ing banquets, which were given under the auspices of the 
Peace Society only, filled the largest dining rooms of two 
hotels, Andrew Carnegie presiding at one feast and Seth 
Low at the other. 

1 Lyman Abbott, Charles E. Jefferson, and Frederick Lynch. 

2 Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie, p. 286; also see Frederick 
Lynch's "Personal Recollections of Andrew Carnegie," p. 28. 




John Bassett Moore George W. Kirchwey Samuei. T. Dutton, Edwin D. Mead Jenkin Lloyd Jones 

Henry M. Leipziger Marcus M. Marks Chainnan. Charles Sprague Smith John E. Milholland 

H. C. Phillips Mrs. Anna Garlin SpencerHayne Davis 

Mary J. Pierson 

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE FIRST NATIONAL PEACE CONGRESS 

NEW YORK, 1907. ' 




Mahlon N. Kline 
Stanley R. Yarna]! 



Hamilton Holt Robert Ebskine Ely, 
Frederick Lynch Secretary. 

Ernst Richard Mrs. Frederick Nathan 
Benjamin F. Trueblood 
Mrs. Henry Villard 



George Foster Peabody William Christie Her 



James B. Reynolds 
Ralph M. Easley 



J. Leonard Levy 



THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (Continued). 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 85 

The magnitude of this gathering and the evident impres- 
sion that it made upon the community and the nation 
were due to the extraordinary preliminary efforts of Mr. 
Button's committee, of which Mr. Button was helmsman, 
pilot, and captain. Br. Ely, Mr. Button's closest asso- 
ciate in this great undertaking, thus describes Mr. But- 
ton's manner and method of management: "One of his 
chief characteristics was seeing things in a large way. He 
had a vision of great audiences in Carnegie Hall morning, 
afternoon and evening for three days. Up to that time 
such a proposal was unparalleled. The management of 
Carnegie Hall considered it impossible to get large audi- 
ences for any purpose three times a day for successive 
days. Mr. Button believed it could be done, and it was 
done." He virtually named the committee, securing thus 
the cooperation of many of the strongest leaders of pub- 
lic opinion in the city. He prepared an elaborate plan 
of public activities, all converging upon the coming con- 
ference. He placed his plan before the committee, which 
gave it hearty approval, and then he and his associates 
put it into operation with a vim that insured success. 
Buring the months of January, February, and March 
they conducted peace meetings in practically every church 
in the city and its suburbs. 

The editors and reporters of the New York City press 
were entertained in three dinners and so favorably 
impressed that they gave an unprecedented amount of 
publicity to the Congress. Finally on the opening day of 
the Congress, which was Sunday, April 14th, by the per- 
suasive efforts of the committee, sermons were preached 
or addresses delivered in advocacy of international peace 
in every city in the United States of more than five thou- 
sand inhabitants, and in many of the smaller cities, towns, 



86 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

and villages. During the Congress there was a women's 
meeting, a business men's meeting, a labor meeting, and a 
university meeting, but most dramatic of all was the young 
people's meeting on a Tuesday afternoon in Carnegie Hall, 
which was packed with children and teachers from the 
schools of the city. This feature had been planned by 
Dr. Edson's committee of the Peace Society, and out of 
this meeting grew the American School Peace League, of 
which, one year later Mrs. Fannie Fern Andrews of Bos- 
ton became the executive secretary. This League still lives 
as the School Citizenship League. The Proceedings of the 
Congress in a volume of four hundred and seventy-eight 
pages, with portraits of all the outstanding figures of the 
sessions, is now one of the most valuable memorials of the 
campaign for international peace. 

Mr. Carnegie was immensely pleased with this congress, 
with its program, and with its effect upon the community. 
Probably its most dramatic event had been the presenta- 
tion by Baron d' Estournelles de Constant, at the final 
banquet in the Hotel Astor, of the insignia of appointment 
as Commander of the French Legion of Honor to Andrew 
Carnegie, in recognition of his generosity to the Hague 
Tribunal. Soon afterwards Mr. Carnegie opened his home 
for a reception to all those who had helped to make the 
Congress so successful. When the Duttons entered, Mr. 
Carnegie, with characteristic geniality, took both of Mrs. 
Dutton's hands in his own, and said with feeling, "Mrs. 
Dutton, you don't know what a great husband you have." 

The whole of the summer of 1907 was devoted by Mr. 
Dutton to international affairs. He visited the conference 
at The Hague, and led the delegation from the New York 
Peace Society to the sixteenth International Peace Con- 
ference at Munich in September. He was also elected a 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 87 

member of the International Peace Bureau of Berne, the 
only other American members being Dr. Trueblood and 
Mr. Mead. At Munich he proposed a plan of national 
organizations to be linked with the Berne Bureau, a plan 
which the Congress adopted as a recommendation. The 
gist of his address was afterwards printed in The Inde- 
pendent, and reprinted as a pamphlet under the title of 
"A Missing Factor in the Peace Movement." 

With his quick sense of the need of practical adminis- 
trative methods, he perceived that at Munich "much was 
said against war but very little about educating the peo- 
ple" to the meaning of internationalism. He also noted 
the conspicuous absence of journalists, clergymen, teach- 
ers, university professors, wage-earners, and captains of 
industry. He urged that the first effort must be to enroll 
all these classes in each country under a great national 
council for arbitration and peace, and to persuade all 
people that territorial limits are insignificant when 
"viewed in the light of the solidarity of the race and the 
high destiny of mankind." 

"How small and mean," said he, "we ought to feel when 
visiting the Old World, if we manage our affairs in abso- 
lute selfishness, without reference to our larger citizenship 
in the world. The practical question arises, 'How can 
this work be organized ? Who is to direct it and see that 
it is made effective' .''" His answer is "Through a national 
council, whose dominating purpose is educational." It 
must bring home to the public mind "every known fact 
regarding interrelation of peoples and nations." It 
should appeal "not so much to prejudice and sentimen- 
tality as to practical sense and good judgment." Mr. 
Dutton made it plain in the next report which he pre- 
sented to the Peace Society (1907-08) that he was alive 



88 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

to the need of physical force under wise control. After 
deprecating the feverish agitation of jingo statesman and 
sensational newspapers, keeping up "the war spirit which 
constitutes the greatest menace to world peace," he con- 
tinues : 

"The Executive Committee has taken no extreme view 
on the subject of expenditure for armaments in this coun- 
try. Doubtless its members, as well as the Society as a 
whole, are in favor of such an army and navy as will 
enable our government to conduct its affairs, both external 
and internal, with dignity and strength. There is much 
police duty to be performed in the world, and the United 
States must be prepared, as in the case of the Boxer 
Rebellion, to furnish its quota of men and ships to meet 
any emergency, but no peace society can view with com- 
placency the idea of making our Republic a great mili- 
tary power either upon land or sea. It is doubtless true 
to-day that the blighting and burdensome militarism of 
Europe is fostered and stimulated by members of the mili- 
tary caste which holds a dominating position in society 
and in politics. It has now come to pass that in this coun- 
try when a protest is made against the necessity of a 
navy as large as that of England or Germany, the reply 
is given that this is a question for experts — they only can 
judge what is necessary. If the American people yield 
to that notion and leave the question of naval increase 
absolutely to those who draw their salaries from the 
National Treasury, and who have every temptation to 
magnify the importance of their office as a national safe- 
guard, we will soon be as heavily burdened as Europe." 

Mr. Dutton's success with the New York Peace Con- 
gress and his appearance at The Hague and Munich — all 
in 1907 — made him known on both sides of the water as a 
leader in the peace movement and as a student of inter- 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 89 

national aifairs. His interest in world citizenship grew 
stronger from month to month, and commanded both his 
voice and his pen. Among the men brought together in 
the Peace Society, its progress seemed to impart an 
impulse towards the formation of other groups with simi- 
lar or related purposes. Such was the Japan Society, 
organized in 1907. Two years later Mr. Button became 
one of its Directors, and he was its Honorary Secretary 
to the end of his life. 

"This," in the words of Dr. Lynch, "opened up a new 
world — he was always longing to get in touch with new 
untried worlds — and he became the intimate friend of 
great Japanese merchants and statesmen in America, and 
met every prominent Japanese who came to New York. 

"He became also deeply interested in the Cosmopolitan 
Club of New York, an organization of some four hundred 
of the foreign students resident in New York. This Club 
was conducted under the auspices of the Foreign Students 
Department of the Y. M. C. A. and, for several years, Mr. 
Dutton was a member of the advisory committee of the 
Club. It was the custom of the Club to have supper 
together every Sunday evening in Earl Hall, at Columbia 
University. Often the large room was crowded with 
dozens of Japanese and Chinese students and many from 
India, the Balkan states and South America. At these 
suppers there was always some prominent guest who 
addressed the men for half an hour on some topic pertain- 
ing to American thought and life. Professor Dutton was 
often invited and always greatly enjoyed the evening. Mr. 
Edmunds, the efficient secretary, persuaded several Ameri- 
can families to open their homes to these students that 
they might have glimpses of American home life. Profes- 
sor Dutton occasionally invited groups of these boys and 
girls to come to his home on Saturdays for luncheon and 
to spend the afternoon in the country with him." 



90 SAMUEL TRAIN DUTTON 

Another society that grew in close proximity to the 
Peace Society was the American Scandinavian Society, 
formed in 1908 with the especial intention of helping 
Scandinavian students to enter American universities and 
of maintaining exchange professorships. In this society 
Mr. Dutton was actively interested and he enabled its 
officers to hold their monthly meetings in the rooms of 
the Peace Society. 

When the Yale class of 1873 met for their thirty-fifth 
anniversary in June, 1908, Goddard, who presided at the 
reunion dinner, showed his classmates the extraordinary 
expansion of Dutton's influence and activities in these 
words, "Dutton enjoys a personal esteem and an official 
influence far above most men I know. He is still forging 
ahead, too. His work in the cause of peace, merely a 
side issue, is beyond what many of us could do in a life- 
time." 

For the winter and spring of 1909 Mr. Dutton and his 
associates in the Peace Society prepared an aggressive 
campaign to influence public opinion, culminating in a 
dinner to Hon. Elihu Root (February 24!th)^ for his 
services to the cause of peace while Secretary of State, 
and in an International Musical Peace Festival (March 
24th) presenting the songs and music of eleven nations as 
a framework for speeches by Andrew Carnegie and Wu 
Ting Fang. Writing in January, Mr. Dutton listed his 
outside activities for the immediate future, and the list 
shows how completely he had plunged into the peace 
crusade. Besides the Root dinner and the Musical Festi- 
val, he was actively concerned with two peace luncheons, 

1 The speakers were President-elect Taft, Joseph H. Choate, James 
Bryce, Charles E. Hughes, Baron Takahira of Japan, Hon. Joaquim 
Nabuco of Brazil and Mr. Root. 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 91 

one for business men at the Astor, a reception and dinner 
of the Scandinavian Society ("to which a rich Norwegian ^ 
is giving $100,000"), a peace speech before a political 
club, three Sunday speeches on the same subject in 
churches at South Norwalk and Brooklyn, a Poe celebra- 
tion at Earl Hall in Columbia, and a Horace Mann Teach- 
ers' meeting "with tea afterward." 

He asks his wife's opinion about the best time to fit 
in two dinners in honor of their daughter Maude and Dr. 
Frederick Lynch, who are to be married on April 12th, 
wants to follow those with a dinner to a group of Japanese 
friends, and closes with an account of "a serious talk" 
with Dr. Mary Mills Patrick about broadening their plans 
for Constantinople College, and also about uplifting their 
appeals for financial help with "the high moral purpose 
which she feels." During this winter of 1908-09 Dr. 
Patrick was an occupant of the office of the New York 
Peace Society. 

This recital will sufficiently show why in 1908 Mr. Dut- 
ton felt that it was necessary for him to relinquish much 
of the work of the Peace Society to other hands. Conse- 
quently Rev. William H. Short of Minnesota was elected 
Executive Secretary of that Society, and assumed office 
in January, 1909. Mr. Dutton retained, however, the title 
of Secretary until 1915, when he became Honorary Secre- 
tary. He remained a director and member of the Execu- 
tive Committee as long as he lived. In 1910, the society 
was incorporated under the name which it already bore 
by common usage, "The New York Peace Society." 

Incidentally, in connection with the preparation for the 
Root dinner, appear the earliest allusions to the egg out 

1 Mr. Niels Poulson, president of the Hecla Iron Works in 
Brooklyn. 



92 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

of which was hatched the Carnegie Endowment for Inter- 
national Peace. Mr. Hamilton Holt was chairman of the 
New York Peace Society committee in charge of that din- 
ner. Late in the year, 1908, Mr. Holt asked President 
Nicholas Murray Butler to accept membership in this 
committee. In the course of the conversation Mr. Holt 
referred to Mr. Carnegie's endowment of the Carnegie 
Institute at Pittsburgh and of the Carnegie Institution 
at Washington, and suggested the advisability of asking 
Mr. Carnegie during the coming winter to establish a 
similar endowment for the cause of international peace, 
with a board of trustees and a fund of ten millions of dol- 
lars. President Butler approved of the idea, and within 
a few days sent to Mr. Holt a letter showing how the 
income from such a trust fund could be wisely expended, 
and advising Mr. Holt to consult Professor Samuel T. 
Dutton and Mr. Edwin D. Mead. This advice was fol- 
lowed. At a subsequent conference in Dr. Butler's office, 
at which the four gentlemen were all present. Dr. Butler 
advised that the proposal under discussion should be 
embodied in a letter, addressed to himself and signed by a 
few friends of the peace movement who were known to have 
Mr. Carnegie's confidence. Dr. Butler offered to take this 
letter to Mr. Carnegie and to support it with his own 
personal plea for the plan proposed. The letter was 
drafted by Mr. Mead and Mr. Holt, and approved by 
Dr. Butler. Mr. Holt went to Washington and secured 
for it the signature of Edward Everett Hale, who was then 
chaplain of the Senate. Senator Root, Hon. John W. 
Foster, and Dr. Andrew D. White wrote letters of endorse- 
ment of the project, although not attacliing their names 
to the letter itself. The letter was signed by Edward 
Everett Hale, Albert K. Smiley, Edwin D. Mead, Samuel 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 93 

T. Button, and Hamilton Holt, in the order named. 

Its text was as follows : 

"New York, December 21, 1908. 
"President Nicholas Murray Butler, 
"Columbia University, 
New York City, 
"Dear Sir: 

"We have recognized with deep interest the value and 
importance of the work being done by the American 
branch of the Association for International Conciliation 
of which you are President. It seems to us to suggest 
something larger and broader, to the end that the forces 
enlisted in behalf of international fraternity may be ade- 
quately directed and supported. 

"In the present state of public opinion and govern- 
mental relations, the time is ripe for earnest and well- 
directed efforts so to educate the public as to guide their 
policies toward the maintenance of peace, to spread 
arbitral justice between nations, and promote the comity 
and commerce of the world without danger of war and 
rumors of war. 

"For this purpose a capital sum analogous to the 
endowment of the Carnegie Institution and the Carnegie 
Institute, entrusted to the administration of a board of 
trustees of the highest class, would be adequate and in the 
course of the next generation highly important and influ- 
ential. If such a board of trustees were made up of men 
similar in character and representative capacity to those 
who constitute the governing boards of the institutions 
named, the wise administration of such a fund would be 
assured. The trustees would undoubtedly elect an execu- 
tive officer competent to take intellectual and moral rank 
with President Pritchett and President Woodward, and 
upon this person and his office staff would fall the respon- 
sibility for the care of the detailed work which the trustees 
as a whole would plan and approve. 



94. SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"By persistent public demonstrations, by the promotion 
of international visits and other courtesies, by the spread 
of literature, by the enlightenment of the people through 
the press, the pulpit, and the platform, and by the aiding 
of existing agencies, this fund could be made potent in 
developing a public opinion not only in America, but in 
Europe and Asia, that would in time reduce the martial 
and jingo elements of the several populations to com- 
parative impotence. 

"We believe that Mr. Carnegie would look with favor 
upon such a work, so eminently in the line of the great 
international interest to which he has already given such 
noteworthy expressions. Our sense of the importance of 
this matter is so deep, that we take the liberty of request- 
ing you, if it seems to you proper, to confer with him, 
making such presentation of the matter as may seem to 
you wise and fitting. 

"Very truly yours, 



"Read and approved 
as per attached 



letters by Signed J "Edwin D. Mead, 



"Edward Everett Hale 
"Albert K. Smiley, 



"Elihu Root, 
"John W. Foster, 
"Andrew D. White. 



"Samuel T. Dutton, 
"Hamilton Holt." 



President Butler communicated this letter to Mr. Car- 
negie, and early in January the latter responded that the 
proposition was "too much in the air. The avenues of 
expenditure should be distinctly stated." 

The immediate inference by the interested parties was 
that the details of the plan should be worked out. Mr. 
Dutton, in a letter of January 17, 1909, refers to Mr. 
Ginn's announced gift for peace and adds, "We have 
approached Mr. Carnegie for a still larger sum, and he 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 95 

asks us for detailed information." A week later he writes : 
"I have just been dictating a great scheme for Mr. Car- 
negie to consider. I think he intends to give some money 
for peace." In another letter late in January he writes : 
"I have a fine letter from Mr. Ginn. He is to give a mil- 
lion for Peace and wants me to help him organize his 
^School of Peace.' We are also putting a much larger 
scheme before Mr. Carnegie. I worked all yesterday morn- 
ing upon that." 

The plans of Edwin Ginn and the hopes concerning 
Andrew Carnegie were very close to Mr. Dutton's mind 
and heart during that winter. Mr. Ginn was full of ques- 
tions and schemes about his projected "International 
School of Peace." He wrote to Mr. Button : "I want you 
to keep thinking of this problem and help us to organize, 
for you, Mr. Capen, and Mr. Mead ^ are the three men 
whom I have chosen to carry out my will, which will pro- 
vide a million for this work. In the meantime I am hop- 
ing to spend from $25,000 to $50,000 a year on this work 
while I live." When this "School of Peace" was finally 
launched in December, 1910, Mr. Dutton was one of the 
trustees, and remained an actively interested member of 
the Board until his death. The name of the endowment 
was soon changed to "World Peace Foundation." 

Mr. Carnegie was not permitted to forget the plan that 
had been submitted to him. The relations between the 
president of the New York Peace Society and his col- 
leagues in the leadership of it, especially Messrs. Dutton, 
Holt, and Lynch, had become intimate, and all of them 
took occasion to remind him of their recommendation. 
President Butler and Mr. Mead also talked again with 
him. Mr. Carnegie's answers were elusive and non-com- 

1 S, B, Capen, president of Tufts College, and Edwin D. Mead, the 
editor of the New England Magazine. 



96 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

mittal, yet it is not unlikely that, as Mr. Dutton said, 
Mr. Carnegie had already determined in his own mind 
to do something for world peace, but was uncertain about 
the wisest way to do it. 

In May, 1909, Mr. Dutton attended as usual the spring 
conference at Lake Mohonk, and spoke on "The Need of 
More Effective Organization in the Peace Movement." He 
advocated his plan for a National Council on Peace and 
Arbitration, and the conference indorsed it. 

Meanwhile it had been decided that the New York Peace 
Society should send a delegation to the eighteenth Inter- 
national Peace Conference at Stockholm in September, 
1909, and Mr. Dutton was chosen to head the delegation. 
Gradually an elaborate plan of combined pleasure and 
usefulness was formed to fill for him the summer of 1909 
and the following months until the holidays, for which 
time he received leave of absence from the University as 
a part of his sabbatical year. In view of the distinguished 
educational services that he was to render during this 
vacation, Teachers College generously gave him the 
six months with full salary. He was to be Mr. Carnegie's 
guest at Skibo Castle in August, go thence to Scandinavia, 
and then across Europe to Constantinople where he could 
study the condition and needs of the American College 
for Girls. In each of the three Scandinavian nations, he 
was commissioned to lecture at the universities under the 
auspices of the American-Scandinavian Society. He was 
the third American exchange professor to represent the 
Society. His predecessors were Chancellor MacCracken 
and President Butler. 

These plans were fully realized. As an introduction 
thereto, he was a guest (February 6th) at one of Mr. Car- 
negie's famous annual dinners of "the Knights of the 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 97 

Cloth," at which President Eliot was a guest of honor. 
Dr. Butler, Dean Kirchwey, and Mr. Dutton represented 
Columbia. Among the others present were John H. Fin- 
ley, Woodrow Wilson, Robert S. Woodward, Henry S. 
Pritchett, Joseph H. Choate, and Henry Holt. Mr. Dut- 
ton described the little formality from which the gather- 
ing received its name, thus: "Each new recruit has to 
write his name in large on the table cloth, and that is after- 
wards worked in with silk, so that this large table cloth 
already bears many distinguished names." 

Mr. and Mrs. Dutton and their daughter Lillian sailed 
from New York on June 3, 1909. They spent the earlier 
part of the summer in leisurely visits to English cathedral 
towns and in the lake-district.^ At Chester they visited 
the ancestral seat of the Dutton family, and were enter- 
tained by the Lord Mayor of Chester, George Dutton. 
During two weeks' stay in Oxford, Mr. Dutton completed 
his preparations for lecturing at the Scandinavian uni- 
versities. 

Then they took up their line of march for Skibo Castle, 
where Mr. Carnegie welcomed them with open arms, and 
Mrs. Carnegie received them with her wonted gracious 
courtesy and hospitality. The castle as usual had many 
guests, among them John Morley and his wife and Mr. 
and Mrs. John Bright, the son and daughter-in-law of the 
great tribune of the people. In accordance with the cus- 
tom of the house, the Brights and Duttons, as the latest 
comers, were made the guests of honor for the first and 
second evenings after their arrival. 

"At eight o'clock we found ourselves marching in coup- 
les to the music of a bagpiper who, dressed in full High- 

1 The daughter, Lillian, remained with friends in the English lake 
country during the summer and returned with them in September 
to the United States. 



98 SAIMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

land costume, led the procession. We walked around the 
long table, each couple stopping at its allotted place. The 
piper passed on out of the door at the end of the room. 
We did not feel so much the wealth that surrounded us in 
this household, as the good will and brotherly love. With 
Mrs. Carnegie's permission, Mr. Dutton proposed a toast 
to our host, which drew forth an appreciative response. 
After dinner, as is the custom, we had music. An organist 
from Dunfermline spends the summer at Skibo for this 
purpose. 

"At 7.45 the next morning we were awakened by the 
strains from the bagpipes. The piper was walking back 
and forth on the terrace below our windows, playing Scot- 
tish airs. This is the rising bell at Skibo. It continues 
until 8.15 when the organ in the reception hall begins to 
play and fills the halls with music until 8.30, the breakfast 
hour. The usual informal breakfast of the country fol- 
lowed — with no service, but every kind of breakfast food 
provided, kept hot on long tables. We made our own 
selections of food, the gentlemen of course serving the 
ladies, and we seated ourselves wherever we wished at the 
long table. 

"Mrs. Carnegie devotes the morning to the responsibili- 
ties of the household (there were sixty-seven persons under 
the castle roof at that time), and leaves her guests to the 
freedom of their own desires. Every sport is at hand for 
the men — hunting, fishing, golf, etc. We went over to 
the golf links of which Mr. Carnegie is justly proud. They 
are one and one half miles from the Castle. 

"During luncheon time Mrs. Carnegie arranged for the 
afternoon's pleasure of her guests. Thus it was that Mrs. 
Bright and we had a wonderful motor-ride, nineteen miles 
northward to a wild ravine where a torrent of water pours 
over the rocks in many waterfalls. In one-half hour we 
counted seventy-five salmon, jumping the falls. We were 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 99 

still on Mr. Carnegie's estate, for it is twenty miles long 
and six miles wide. 

"Back to the castle for tea and an hour of rest, and 
then the evening dinner again. The Sunday evening dinner 
is less formal than the week day repast. After it, the 
household gathers about the organ in the reception hall. 
The guests are seated on one side of the hall, the servants 
on the other. Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie were in front seats, 
and for an hour, with the organ leading, the whole com- 
pany sang hymns selected by the Laird of Skibo. The 
service gave expression in a simple practical way to Mr. 
Carnegie's religious ideas and to his belief in common 
experiences for his whole household. 

"On another afternoon we attended the annual exhi- 
bition of produce from the farms of tenants on the estate. 
For the best specimens Mr. Carnegie gives prizes (checks) 
which he usually presents in person. On this occasion 
Mrs. Carnegie made a graceful little speech after her hus- 
band had playfully introduced her. Then the Laird called 
the names of the prize-winners. As each one came to the 
platform, Margaret Carnegie handed to him an envelope 
containing the check. The hall was filled and the exhibit 
excellent. Afterwards we guests went motoring, while 
Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie stayed to talk with their tenants. 

"I neglected to mention that on Sunday morning at ten 
o'clock we were invited 'to go the rounds,' if we wished. 
The phrase implies the visiting of all the different depart- 
ments of the household, greenhouses, gardens, kennels, 
stables, garages, and cottages where the employees live. 
Mr. and Mrs, Carnegie led the party. Everywhere we 
found happy expectant faces, ready to welcome the Lord 
of the Manor. The best of understanding and friendly 
fellowship evidently existed between the Laird and his 
retainers, even down to the second and third generations. 

"On the morning of the day before we left, there was 
a festival of tree-planting, one of the annual customs. The 



100 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

site for the new home of a tree was chosen near the castle. 
The guests in a merry party marched to the spot, headed 
by Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie and following the bagpiper in 
full blast. Each one cast a shovelful of earth upon the 
roots of the tree, and then the company danced the High- 
land Fling around the tree. 

"When we left Skibo we each received a delicious 
luncheon to take with us, and a horn spoon with 'Skibo' 
inserted in silver on the handle, as a souvenir. Mrs. Car- 
negie said that she was accustomed Ho inflict' this on her 
guests, and we were delighted to endure the infliction." 

Mr. Carnegie insisted that the Duttons should stop over 
at Dunfermline, his native place. He wanted Mr. But- 
ton to see the schools there, and the town which Mr. Car- 
negie loved, and for which in his magnificent spirit of 
loyalty he had done so much. Through his kindness they 
were met at the station and entertained at the best hotel. 
The freedom of the town was presented to them. The next 
day the president of the Dunfermline Endowment Fund 
called for them with the best equipage that the town 
afforded, and took them to see all points of interest. "It 
gave us an unusual opportunity to understand Mr. Car- 
negie's point of view, the things that influenced his life 
and the foundations on which his wonderful career was 
built." 

It may be noted also that during this visit Mr. Dut- 
ton again spoke to his host about the endowment of the 
work for world peace. Mr. Carnegie seemed to be inter- 
ested, but was not ready to make decisions. 

So ended the Scottish part of the tour. The Duttons 
sailed from Newcastle to Bergen and after a trip up the 
Norwegian coast settled down for two weeks at Kristiania 
before the time for Mr. Dutton's lectures at the university. 
They were fortunate enough to find friends at Kristiania 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 101 

and were entertained by the American Minister to Nor- 
way, Mr. H. H. D. Peirce, through whom Mr. Dutton 
had an hour of conversation with the King. 

The subjects of his lectures at Kristiania, Uppsala, and 
Kopenhagen were "Education and the Common Life," 
"American Industry," "Commerce and Education," and 
"Education and the Higher Life." At the university of 
Uppsala he was the first American lecturer. He also 
gave a public lecture in Stockholm upon invitation of the 
Pedagogical Society of that city. The Peace Confer- 
ence at Stockholm was prevented from assembling by a 
great strike and was postponed for one year. 

While the Duttons were at the Swedish capital, Mrs. 
Dutton became overf atigued and felt obliged to retire for 
rest to a suburban resort on the Baltic, while Mr. Dutton 
went alone to Denmark. The Minister of the United States 
to the Government of that country was then the eminent 
author and lecturer, Dr. Maurice Francis Egan. Dr. 
Egan displayed a ready sympathy with Mr. Dutton's mis- 
sion and the two men at once became firm friends. Dr. 
Egan has kindly permitted the use here of his own descrip- 
tion of his compatriot's experiences. 

"The day he lectured in the auditorium of the Royal 
University of Copenhagen was an intensely interesting day 
for me. The hall was crowded. His explanation of the 
position of the Hall of Fame in the scheme of American 
education was received with enthusiasm, — for he spoke 
slowly in English, and even those who were not entirely 
proficient in our language managed to catch his mean- 
ing, so intensely sincere and expressive was the delivery 
of his speech. And this speech had the effect of exciting 
many inquiries as to methods and the reasons for methods 
which Dr. Dutton had merely touched on in his exposi- 
tion of the mission of the American teacher. 



102 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"It was a great pleasure to me when a command came 
from King Frederick that I should take Dr. Dutton to 
dinner at His Majesty's summer palace of Charlotten- 
lund. It was, I remember, on a Sunday night, and all 
the royal family, including Queen Louise, Prince Gustav, 
and the Princesses Thyra and Dagmar, were present. 
There were a number of other distinguished guests and 
with the royal family were the Queens of England and 
Greece and the dowager empress of Russia, but Dr. Dut- 
ton was the guest of honor. Princesses Thyra and Dag- 
mar were particularly interested in him. Queen Louise, 
who read every serious book she could find on conditions 
in America, and who delighted in meeting Americans who 
had done any good work, took him in hand, and the two 
young princesses, after dinner, when tea and the favorite 
Danish conserve of raspberries and currants — called 'red 
gruel' were served, lost their shyness and became so 
friendly with Dr. Dutton that King Frederick laughingly 
accused them of flirting with him. Every time I met Dr. 
Dutton in this country after this, I tried to make him 
blush at this episode in his life, but he refused to have 'a 
past' thrust upon him. As we were leaving, King Frederick 
said, 'Whenever an American of Dr. Dutton's class comes 
to Denmark, bring him to me. I am sure all my family 
would be glad to learn many important things from him 
every week of the year if he could stay among us.' 

"The Danish Press praised his justice and his liberality 
and applauded a new type of American, who seemed to be 
able to combine the best traditions of the past with the 
most progressive movements of the present. As for our 
people at the Legation, we were disconsolate when Dr. 
Dutton left. He and my daughter Carmel became special 
friends and I could not help noticing that her eyes were 
very dim when my great and good compatriot said good- 
by to her at the station. I had hoped to see him again 
in Denmark ; he had promised. One of the great consola- 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 103 

tions after my return from my post — very ill and deeply 
depressed by living so near the sources of the War while 
it raged — was my meeting with Dr. Dutton, who, perhaps 
more than any man, reminded me always of the line in 
Tennyson about him who 'bore the white flower of a blame- 
less life.' " 

During all of this Scandinavian tour the social respon- 
sibilities and opportunities seem to have been no less seri- 
ous than the educational. In the three countries Mr. Dut- 
ton was guest of honor at fifteen dinners and luncheons. 
In his official report to Dr. Butler, president of the Ameri- 
can Scandinavian Society, Mr. Dutton says : 

"I must especially mention a dinner given to me by the 
university of Kristiania and the Society of Arts and 
Sciences, attended by the Rector and Faculty of the uni- 
versity and the chief officers of the Norwegian Govern- 
ment, forty in all. The archbishop of Sweden also invited 
me to a great dinner given at his palace at the close of a 
conference of Anglican and Swedish bishops." 

After a few weeks in Dresden the Duttons went to Con- 
stantinople by way of Vienna and Belgrad. They were 
welcomed at Constantinople by Dr. Patrick, president of 
the American College for Girls, and they remained there 
as guests of the college for three weeks. Fortunately the 
story of this visit can be given in Dr. Patrick's own words : 

"His eagerness to help the college was greatly intensi- 
fied by a close knowledge of its internal workings gained 
during a visit which he made to Constantinople in the 
autumn of 1909. The college was then in Scutari on the 
Asiatic coast, about a mile from the Bosphorus. I met 
Dr. and Mrs. Dutton at the Stamboul customhouse and it 
was their first introduction to the anomalies of the Near 
East. They were both tired from their journey, and yet 



104 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

had to be dragged through endless discussions with Turk- 
ish officials in regard to luggage, passports, and other 
details of arrival in a strange port. Then came the trip 
to the Scutari landing, the delays in crossing the Bos- 
phorus in the old-fashioned Scutari ferry, and after that, 
the drive up the hill, when one wheel of the carriage after 
the other went up and down as the result of deep hollows 
and ruts in the main streets of Scutari. Dr. Button could 
not restrain his astonishment at this condition of things 
as he had never expected that a city like Constantinople 
would contain such dangerous streets. 

"How I wish Dr. Dutton could have visited our new 
buildings in Arnaoutkeuy on the European shore of the 
Bosphorus ! We would have met him at the station in an 
automobile and brought him quickly and by civilized 
methods to our modern campus and buildings. However, 
the life in Scutari was homelike and pleasant, and Dr. and 
Mrs. Dutton enjoyed it very much indeed during the few 
weeks of their visit. He had just come from Denmark, 
where he had been invited to dine with the King, a very 
unusual honor to an unofficial American, and though it 
may have been a far cry from the dining table of the King 
of Denmark to dinners with the students in the dining 
hall of Scutari, Dr. Dutton seemed to enjoy them both. 

"He soon became an honorary member of the Senior 
Class and they much appreciated his jokes. He gave them 
two mottoes which they put up in the Senior sitting room ; 
one was 'Never do anything to-day that you can put off 
until to-morrow,' and the other, 'Never do anything your- 
self that you can get somebody else to do for you.' His 
fun with the class endeared him very much to them and 
helped to emphasize the more serious lectures which he 
gave in the college. All these lectures were open to the 
public and were attended by enthusiastic audiences. 

"I have never forgotten one experience that I had with 
Dr. Dutton during his visit in Constantinople. We were 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 105 

invited to luncheon by His Excellency Oscar Straus, who 
was then American Ambassador at Constantinople. It 
was during the short days of late autumn and, after a 
rather extended visit succeeding the luncheon, we drove to 
Beshiktash to take a boat to Scutari. We found that 
there was none, but that we could get one to Couskounjuk 
— a Jewish village on the Bosphorus also about a mile from 
the Scutari buildings. We had not realized quite how 
late it was and we landed in Couskounjuk just as dusk fell. 
To our surprise, as the day had not been unpleasant, it 
began to rain violently, and we started up the college hill 
in the rain and the darkness, over a road which impressed 
Dr. Dutton as even worse than that over which we drove 
the first day in Scutari. He had worn his visiting suit 
and his top hat to the Embassy lunch and we plunged 
along in the rain, darkness, and mud with no umbrella, 
much to the detriment of any clothing however strong. 
Finally it grew almost impossible to see a step before us, 
and we succeeded in buying a paper lantern at a little 
shop on the way. We lighted it and starting on again 
and it saved us from falling in the deep muddy pools 
which suddenly appeared as a result of the rain. On the 
way up the hill in the darkness and the rain, many other 
cavities were revealed by the flickering light of the Chinese 
lantern, which ended in a final flash just as we reached the 
Scutari buildings. The next day was Thanksgiving and 
at the dinner were present Mr. and Mrs. Straus from the 
American Embassy. In the after-dinner speech made by 
Dr. Dutton he gave one of the most amusing descriptions 
I have ever heard of any event, of the walk in the darkness 
and the rain up the hill of Couskounjuk, and many times 
afterwards he referred to that evening as one of the amus- 
ing events of his life. 

"During Dr. Dutton's visit to Constantinople we were 
invited by the President of the new Parliament then in 
Constantinople to attend some of its exercises. The 



106 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Tcherigan Palace was then used as the House of Parlia- 
ment, It has since been ruined by a fire which burned out 
all the inside of the Palace, but at that time it is not too 
much to say that it was the most beautiful House of Par- 
liament in all Europe. The palace was built of solid 
marble, decorated with marble of different kinds on the 
inside and with very delicate ornamentation within and 
without. It contained many treasures that had been col- 
lected by previous Sultans and connoisseurs in artistic 
ornamentations. Dr. Dutton was very well received by 
the President of the Parliament and shown a great deal of 
attention, and was invited to attend on other occasions. 

"Dr. Dutton's visit to the college was an epoch in its 
history and we had often hoped to welcome him again in 
the modern and finished surroundings of our present col- 
lege site. His influence for the college was very much 
increased by his connection with so many causes of prom- 
inence and importance in the United States, and it was 
worth more than can easily be expressed to have a man so 
cultured, so wise, and so much in touch with the great 
affairs of the world at the head of our New York office. 
His death was a loss that cannot be overestimated. 

"Dr. Dutton's plans for the future of the college were 
adapted to the needs and the aspirations of all the dif- 
ferent nations of the Near East and his service on the 
official commission of examination in the Balkan Peninsula 
after the Balkan War, well prepared him to deal with all 
phases of the Near East situation. His picture at present 
stands in our college drawing room and I never look at 
his face, so full of kindness and insight, without keen 
regret that the college no longer benefits from the touch 
of his guiding hand." 

The Dutton party was entertained at the Tcherigan 
Palace by the Secretary of Parliament, whose wife was 
a graduate of the college. The young Turk who conducted 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 107 

them around the palace refused a tip for his services, 
which made it a unique experience for the Buttons. Mr. 
Button was also pleased to hear the Governor of Scutari 
say that his little daughter, when old enough, should go 
to the college, "for the American School is so much better 
than any other." 

Br. Patrick's long residence and wide acquaintance in 
Constantinople, and the presence of Mr. Button's friend, 
Mr. Straus, all helped to introduce Mr. Button without 
delay into the heart of things and to make his visit highly 
enlightening to himself as well as helpful to the college. 
He became also well acquainted with the kindred institu- 
tion, Robert College, and its president, Br. Gates. Of the 
Board of Trustees of this college, his friend, Cleveland 
Bodge was — and is — president. 

Mr. Button addressed the general assembly of the Robert 
College students, and also a selected group at an evening 
meeting at the house of President Gates. In connection 
with these meetings, and possibly with some thought of the 
American Scandinavian Society's work in bringing Nor- 
wegian students to American colleges, and of similar move- 
ments of Chinese and Japanese youth, Mr. Straus sug- 
gested in conversation with Mr. Button the possibility 
of sending Turkish boys, like those at Robert College, to 
continue their studies in the United States. Mr. Button's 
imagination was fired at once with hope for such a plan. 
He pictured to himself the result of training young citi- 
zens of Turkey to transplant the best political and ethical 
lessons of our country into the public service of that old 
empire. He discussed it with some of his newly-made 
Turkish friends, especially with Ahmed Riza Bey, presi- 
dent of the Turkish Parliament, and with the Governor 
of Scutari. 



108 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

The Duttons came home by the Mediterranean route, 
via Athens and Naples, and reached New York early in 
January, 1910. Soon after their arrival, the Horace 
Mann teaching staff gave them a dinner of welcome at the 
Brevoort Hotel, and punctuated it with hearty expres- 
sions of the good will and affection which the members of 
the staff felt for their chief, and the admiration with which 
they regarded his public services. 

Immediately after his return, Mr. Dutton wrote to all 
the larger universities, inquiring if they would grant 
scholarships to students from the Near East, and more 
particularly from Turkey. The response was prompt and 
favorable. Free scholarships for such students were recog- 
nized at Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, and Yale 
Universities. The following year the first group of five 
arrived in New York, having won their scholarships bj 
competitive examination. For living expenses the Turk- 
ish Government gave to each a generous allowance. They 
chose to enter Columbia University and Mr. Dutton main- 
tained close relations with them as an adviser, friend and 
oft-times a genial host. At Mr. Dutton's request, the 
New York Peace Society authorized him to name a com- 
mittee of the Society which should aid him in convincing 
these students that they had not come among strangers 
but among friends. They made good, and so did others 
who came after them. 

Afterwards, a Turkish pasha who knew these men and 
observed the career of that one who had then returned 
home, said, "Our young men, who went to Paris to study, 
learned only dissipation and are useless ; those who went 
to America learned the best lessons." 

Mr. Dutton was so strongly convinced of the merits of 
this method of renewing Eastern civilization that, soon 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 109 

after his return in 1910, he urged the New York Peace 
Society to take the lead in inviting "from twenty-five to 
fifty young Turkish statesmen and leaders over here to see 
our schools and colleges, industries, and mines, and our 
civic life. From the time they land in New York until 
they depart, they should be the guests of American citi- 
zens." In this connection he had in mind the activities 
of a Board of International Hospitality which was being 
formed by the Peace Society, in pursuance of a recommen- 
dation originally made by him, and vigorously seconded 
by Hamilton Holt. He also expressed the opinion that 
the chambers of commerce of our chief cities should be 
glad to share in receiving the representatives of the Near 
East. 

During 1910 the comprehensive scheme for organized 
effort in behalf of international peace in which Mr. Dut- 
ton and some of his associates had been so long trying to 
interest Mr. Carnegie was brought to fulfilment. Presi- 
dent Taft's declaration, March 22, 1910, at a meeting 
of the American Peace and Arbitration League in New 
York, in favor of unrestricted arbitration treaties, pro- 
foundly impressed and moved Mr. Carnegie, who hap- 
pened then to be at the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. 
He himself declared that when he read the report of Presi- 
dent Taft's speech in the New York papers, he said to him- 
self, "President Taft, foremost among rulers of men, has 
really bridged the chasm between peace and war." 

The three officers of the New York Peace Society who 
had the subject so constantly in mind, Messrs. Dutton, 
Holt, and Lynch, felt that the propitious time had arrived 
when they should try to draw Mr. Carnegie to some 
definite conclusion. About the middle of April, 1910, they 
went together to Mr. Carnegie's house. Finding their 



110 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

friend and associate, Professor George W. Kirchwey, 
already there, they invited and obtained his assistance. 
These four gentlemen then presented their views and argu- 
ments to Mr. Carnegie, who listened, but appeared to be 
still undecided. He spent the summer, as usual, in Scot- 
land, but evidently while he was musing the fire burned, 
for he told Mr. Holt afterwards that the exact form his 
gift for world peace ought to take came to him suddenly, 
like a revelation, on the golf-links at Skibo.^ 

Early in November, within a week after his return to 
New York, his colleagues in the Peace Society learned that 
he had decided to establish the desired endowment, and, 
a little later, they were told that the gift would be ten 
million dollars. Then Senator Root was called into con- 
sultation by him, and also Dr. Butler, and thus the Car- 
negie Endowment for International Peace was born. It 
was announced to the public on December 14, 1910. 

Mr. Dutton, by Mr. Carnegie's invitation, submitted to 
him a list of names of men who, in Mr. Dutton's judgment, 
should be named as trustees of the endowments. Of the 
signers of the letter of December 21, 1908, only Albert 
K. Smiley was chosen as a trustee, but ten of the members 
of the new Board were also either officers or members of 
the New York Peace Society.^ 

One active peace worker, quite conversant with all that 
the "Mohonk" group in the New York Peace Society had 
been striving and hoping for, sent to his friend Dutton a 
New Year's greeting for January 1, 1911, exulting in 

1 Frederick Lynch: "Personal Recollections of Andrew Carnegie," 
p. 166. For many of the facts concerning the origins of the Carnegie 
Endowment for International Peace I am indebted to a memorandum 
written at the time by Mr. Hamilton Holt, and now in his possession. 

2 These were Elihu Root, Joseph H. Choate, Cleveland H. Dodge, 
Austen G. Fox, Samuel Mather, Henry S. Pritchett, George W. 
Perkins, Albert K. Smiley, Oscar S. Straus, Andrew D, White. 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 111 

the wonderful Christmas gift that the friends of the peace 
movement had received, congratulating Mr. Button as 
one of "the men behind the Carnegie Foundation," and 
adding: "Some of us will long remember your part in 
the year's work.*' 

From faraway Brunswick, Maine, his Yale classmate, 
Houghton, in the spring wrote to say that he had been 
reading two of Button's contributions to magazines, one 
on Education in Turkey and another on the question, 
"Shall the United States Lead the World Toward Peace?" 
He continues : "It is indeed a great work that you are en- 
gaged in — this Peace movement — and I congratulate you 
heartily on being able to contribute so directly and force- 
fully to the betterment of the world. May you live to be 
a hundred, for the sake of the good you are so happily 
able to accomplish in your present position." 

For some years Mr. Button visualized one more con- 
structive benefaction to the peace movement, in which 
he tried to awaken Mr. Carnegie's interest. This was to 
be an imposing International Peace Building in either 
New York or Washington, wherein the various endow- 
ments and societies for the prevention of wars should make 
their headquarters, and from which they should issue their 
publications. It would be such a home for the forces of 
good will in the United States as Mr. Carnegie had already 
provided for engineering societies in New York, for the 
Pan American Union at Washington, and for the Arbitral 
Tribunal at The Hague. The crash of the Great War 
ended Mr. Button's advocacy of this plan. 

Buring 1911, Button's old friend Carroll, after a 
strenuous experience in Rochester, N. H., had in the faU 
settled in Marblehead, Mass., his intention being to super- 
intend schools there and, at the same time renew his youth 



112 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

by studying at Harvard. He knew from his friend's let- 
ters that Mr. Button had, in the fall of 1911, tentatively 
decided to withdraw three years later from his educational 
work at Columbia, and had consulted the Bean of Teach- 
ers College about these plans. Having in mind the dreams 
and hopes of their boyhood, Carroll summed up their 
accomplishment in these lines of a letter to his old friend : 

"Your way has been calm, and I am glad that you have 
still so much in sight that is worth while. I seem to have 
been more strenuous all the way, and am still undertaking 
stunts that younger men would shrink from. But it is 
pleasant to note that each of us has, in a way, worked out 
his destiny along lines that have been in sight for years. 
In other words our dreams have tended to come true. . . 

"As I think of it, you and I, while we work along dif- 
ferent lines, yet are following the lead of our inner and 
strongest desires, and that is worth something. I do not 
believe that you or I will retire right away. I certainly 
expect to undertake something definite as a responsibility 
in a year or two, and I am just as sure that you will be 
carrying some world movement as long as you live." 

But Carroll's destiny was grasped by the fateful sister 
with the shears, and early in 1913 he lay dead. 

Buring that fall of 1911, Mr. Button was asked by 
President Butler to take charge of Br. Inazo Nitobe's 
engagements in and around New York. This was the first 
effort by the new Foundation to promote good will between 
Japan and the United States through the reciprocal visits 
of eminent men. With this end in view the Foundation 
sent President Eliot to Japan, China, and India in the 
season of 1911-12, and arranged for Br. Nitobe's resi- 
dence through a five or six weeks' term at each of a half 
dozen American universities. 

At Columbia, therefore, Mr. Button became responsible 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 113 

for Dr. Nitobe's activities and, in a sense, his host. Dr. 
Nitobe, who had in his youth studied at Johns Hopkins, 
is a scholar of unusual attainments, and Mr. Dutton 
found this service most profitable. After it was com- 
pleted. Dr. Butler took occasion to express his gratitude 
for Mr. Dutton's "generous and effective work," saying, 
"It was owing to you that his visit was so great a suc- 
cess, and I am sure that we are on the right track in 
promoting this intellectual exchange." 

It was the reaction from all these activities, and specific- 
ally, a desire to multiply educational exchanges between 
Scandinavia and the United States that finally decided 
Mr. Niels Poulson, the philanthropic member of the Amer- 
ican Scandinavian Society previously referred to, to 
create in 1911 a permanent endowment for such pur- 
poses, called the American Scandinavian Foundation. 
Dying soon after, he made to the foundation a bequest 
of his estate, amounting to more than half a million dol- 
lars. Mr. Dutton was one of the first trustees of this 
endowment, and remained in it until his death. 

In May, 1911, Mr. Dutton was chosen to be a Director 
of the American Peace Society, which, during the year, 
moved its offices from Boston to Washington. Mr. Dutton 
was deeply interested in the idea of a National Peace Coun- 
cil, which he had for some time publicly advocated, and 
it now seemed to him and others that eventually the gov- 
erning board of the American Society might exercise the 
functions of such a council. In 1912 the American Peace 
Society was reorganized in accordance with such a plan ^ 
whereby it became, to a limited degree, a federation of 
State Societies. The New York Peace Society accepted 

1 The plan was approved at a special meeting of the Society, 
December 9, 1911. The revised constitution, embodying the plan, was 
adopted at the annual meeting of the Society, May 10, 1912. 



114. SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

this federal relationship, and Mr. Dutton became, in addi- 
tion to his position in the State Society, the representative 
director of the American Peace Society for New York and 
New Jersey. President Samuel P. Brooks, president of 
Baylor University at Waco, Texas, well known as a stal- 
wart friend of world peace, was an admirer of Mr. But- 
ton's activities in both the educational and international 
fields. Through his recommendation, Baylor University 
conferred the honorary degree of LL.D. upon Mr. Dutton 
at the Commencement in 1912. 

Meanwhile the outbreak of the first Balkan war against 
Turkey in September, 1912, deeply engaged the thought 
and interest of Mr. Dutton, in the first place because he 
had become one of the main props of Constantinople Col- 
lege, and, secondly, because from the starting-point of the 
college affairs, he had been studying the problems of the 
Balkan nations and the Turkish Empire. In 1910 the 
college had begun to erect its new building at Arnaoutkeuy 
on the European side of the Bosphorus and at the out- 
skirts of Constantinople. In the next year a Finance Com- 
mittee was formed in New York by the trustees to raise 
money for this very considerable construction. Mr. 
George A. Plimpton was the Chairman, and Mr. Dutton 
was an active member. It was in the summer of that year, 
1911, that Mr. Dutton drove across the Maine country- 
side with Miss Patrick to a famous summer resort, where 
they hoped to tell the story of the American College for 
Girls to a wealthy New York lady. They were so per- 
suasive that, during the next four years, that lady invested 
no less than one hundred thousand dollars in the college 
buildings. It is not surprising that when the office of 
treasurer of the college became vacant by death in 1914, 
Mr. Dutton was prevailed upon to take that place also. 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 116 

The correspondence between Dutton and his friend 
Carroll has already revealed that in 1911 they had begun 
to discuss the idea of retirement as a future possibility. 
During the year 1912-13, the former, at any rate, shaped 
his plans consciously towards such an event. It was plain 
enough that in October, 1914, he would reach the age at 
which he might, if he wished, ask for a release from col- 
lege duties and for a retirement allowance from the Car- 
negie Endowment for the Advancement of Teaching. His 
vigor was unimpaired and he had no desire to stop work- 
ing. For several years he had been keeping many irons 
hot. He was not the man to shirk or evade any duty, but 
he had gradually become aware of his preferences among 
irons. 

When he came to Teachers College in 1900, he came as 
an expert school-superintendent, interpreting that duty as 
essentially the duty of a community-organizer. But dur- 
ing these twelve years his interests and ambitions had 
steadily transcended the limitations of a single community, 
even the metropolitan. His educational problem had 
become merged in the world-wide issue between civilization 
and barbarism, between Christianity and paganism. His 
administrative problems had related themselves to the 
essential questions of finance and instruction for a half- 
dozen institutions of varying grade in widely sundered 
parts of the world, to all of which he stood in an execu- 
tive relation more like that of a college president, or phil- 
anthropic promoter, than of a public school superin- 
tendent. 

His participation in international movements that 
touched the policies of states at many points had pro- 
foundly impressed his thought, widened his circle of 
acquaintance, and enriched his nature. It had educated 



116 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

him progressively. Thus the school supervisor developed 
the traits and capacities of a college executive, a public 
welfare worker and organizer, and a diplomat, and became 
qualified to win a new success as any one of the three. 

Moreover, while the man had been growing, his profes- 
sional problem had also been changing. During the dozen 
years in which he had been learning to make the world, 
in a sense, his parish, the profession of public school 
administration had been growing less vague in boundary, 
more sharply differentiated from teaching, more clearly 
defined as a business vocation. Mr. Dutton was an execu- 
tive by intuitive knowledge, rather than by the mechanical 
application of scientific principles. After all, common 
sense, which cannot be imparted in classrooms, is far more 
necessary than manuals and theories. Moreover, his 
enthusiasms had always been kindled by the philosophical 
interpretations of a Harris and the semi-religious fervors 
of a Parker, rather than by the mastery of a managerial 
technique. There is evidence that classroom expositions 
of topics not clearly related to moral and social issues 
sometimes seemed to him irksome, or relatively less import- 
ant. But a new age had begun, and some of those who 
looked for "efficiency" in his treatment of school manage- 
ment, missed it, and disagreed with his manner and method 
and his estimate of values. 

Under all these circumstances Mr. Dutton's mind was 
made up to seek release from teaching and from his super- 
visory duties at Teachers College at the time above indi- 
cated. Constantinople College occupied his thought and 
hope. He had formed far-reaching plans for its develop- 
ment along lines of public service to the people of the 
Near East. He looked forward to the time when he could 
concentrate his labors upon the growth of that institution 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 117 

and the promotion of peace and good will among nations. 
In April, 1913, he placed in the hands of Dean Russell an 
application for retirement at the end of the year 1914-15, 
and for leave of absence from December, 1914, in order 
that he might go at that time to the Orient and devote 
himself to the study of his educational responsibilities 
there. He also submitted to both Dean Russell and Presi- 
dent Butler a request for their approval of coincident 
application to the Carnegie Endowment for a pension. In 
his letter to President Butler, Mr. Dutton said : 

"He [sc. Dr. Pritchett] understands, of course, that I 
have given a good deal of time to the Schools connected 
with Teachers College, but appreciates the facts that my 
duties have been administrative and supervisory, that the 
Schools have been sustained as a clinic for the Teachers 
College, and that my chief task has been to make condi- 
tions such that a large staff of Professors could use the 
Speyer School as a school of practice and the Horace 
Mann School as a school of observation. . . . May I add 
that I have always remembered with appreciation the let- 
ter which you wrote me when I asked your advice about 
coming to the Teachers College? I have had no occasion 
to regret the decision made at that time. I will say also 
that your confidence and support have helped me very 
much in performing the duties of a rather delicate and 
difficult position." 

On June 2, 1913, Dean Russell notified Mr. Dutton that 
his application for retirement in June, 1915, had been 
granted by the Trustees, and that his request for a leave 
of absence had been most generously met: "In recogni- 
tion of your service to Teachers College and of your con- 
tributions to Education in this country, it was unanim- 
ously voted to grant you leave of absence on full salary 



118 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

from July 1, 1914." To this message the Dean appends 
his personal congratulations. 

In acknowledgment of this liberality, Mr. Dutton 
answered : "I can only say that my loyalty to the college 
and to its schools and my desire to be of service to them 
both will continue as long as I live, even though my official 
relation comes to an end. It will indeed be hard to break 
away, but I trust to be of service to several kindred causes, 
to which my time and my strength will be consecrated." 
Thus, in due course of time, Mr. Dutton became the first 
professor emeritus upon the rolls of Teachers College. 

Early in the winter of 1913 a Japanese journalist, Mr. 
Naoichi Masaoka, connected with the Tokyo Yamato 
Shimbun, one of the oldest newspapers in Japan, asked 
Mr. Dutton to write a foreword from the American point 
of view for a book that Mr. Masaoka was about to publish 
on the "Beikoku-jin," which is the Japanese name for 
Americans. Mr. Dutton complied with the request, and 
the preface that he wrote is reproduced here, because it 
shows Mr. Dutton's ability to put his finger directly on 
the bone of contention without giving offense or making 
room for any. 

"The Responsibility of the United States and Japan for 
the Peace of the World. 

"The peculiar and close relations of Japan and the 
United States give to those countries a unique and import- 
ant responsibility. This responsibility relates more par- 
ticularly to the future of China, but also bears upon the 
peace and welfare of the world. In regard to China, 
Japan by reason of her remarkable success, her military 
strength, and her ability in government, is able to help 
China at a time when she greatly needs it. Japan under- 
stands perhaps better than any other nation the dangers 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 119 

which beset China just at this time, when she is recovering 
from the throes of revolution, and she has the opportunity 
of displaying such a high-minded and generous policy as 
will add to her present standing before the world, and will 
command universal respect. What the various factors are 
which should enter into such a policy it is not necessary 
to indicate here. While it may be granted that the great 
nations have agreed upon the policy of the open door, the 
question whether China can maintain her integrity and 
peace without other aid and also the question about the 
security and progress of China as a self-governing nation 
are of course yet to be determined. 

"As far as the United States is concerned, she also, by 
reason of her position, and her freedom from suspicion 
of desire to steal anything from China, can in a powerful 
way second any efforts which Japan may make to preserve 
the status quo, and to secure for China time and oppor- 
tunity for normal development as a free nation seeking 
education and the general enlightenment of her people. 

"If the United States and Japan can unitedly rise to 
the highest possibility in diplomacy and work together 
along the lines of persistent and honest purposes in the 
interest of China, the world will get a new lesson of the 
growing sense of justice and fair play which to a good 
degree possesses the nations to-day. Such high-minded 
conduct as I have suggested will react favorably upon both 
nations, and in working together they will discover new 
reasons for cordial and friendly cooperation in all world 
affairs. Thus all war scares will be abolished and the 
jingoes will be driven into obscurity. One thing is certain, 
Japan and the United States have already learned much 
from each other. They are able to appreciate each the 
good qualities of the other, and among the best people in 
either land there is not the slightest fear but that friend- 
ship and good will will insure an enduring peace." 

It had been the intention of Mr. Button to go to Europe 



120 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

in the summer of 1913, to attend in August the dedica- 
tion of the Peace Palace at The Hague — Mr. Carnegie's 
gift — and to attend also the coincident sessions of the 
Twentieth International Peace Congress at the same place. 
But an unexpected opportunity for usefulness intervened. 

The second Balkan war in June, 1913, the collapse of 
Bulgaria, and the treaty of Bucarest had resulted in fill- 
ing the world with the angry accusations and counter- 
charges of the combatant nations, and with grave doubts 
of the measure of truth contained in their statements. It 
was evident enough that the Balkan conflagration might 
at any moment explode the European powder-magazine 
and destroy the peace of the whole world. Dr. Nicholas 
Murray Butler, as Chairman of the Division of Inter- 
course and Education of the Carnegie Endowment for 
International Peace, proposed to let light into the Balkan 
muddle and ascertain the truth by creating an interna- 
tional commission to investigate, in the name of the Endow- 
ment, the real facts about the two Balkan wars and the 
conditions in Macedonia, and to make an impartial report. 
An international commission to investigate war and its 
cruelties was something new. As Dr. Butler remarked 
later, this commission would olTer to the public, for the 
first time in history, "the results of a scientific study of 
international war and its effects, made almost before the 
smoke of battle had cleared away." 

During the last week in July, 'Mr. Dutton accepted Dr. 
Butler's invitation to become the American member of 
the proposed commission. August 11th, Mr. Dutton was 
in London, talking with the Bulgarian, Serbian, and Greek 
ministers, and lunching with Mr. F. W. Hirst, editor of 
The Economist, who had been asked to serve as the Eng- 
lish member. Finding that Mr. Hirst could not accept, 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 121 

Mr. Dutton wrote, with Mr. Hirst's approval to M. Prud- 
hommeaux in Paris, the European secretary of the Car- 
negie Endowment : "Perhaps you have invited some other 
Englishman. If you have not, I would like to recommend 
earnestly Mr. H. N. Brailsford. He has been in the 
Balkans a good deal, has written one or two excellent 
books on the subject, speaks the French, Bulgarian, and 
Greek languages, and seems to be a very competent man. 
I find that he would be able to go, if desired." 

About his interview with the diplomats he wrote home, 
"They were all friendly and courteous, gave me some 
information and several letters. But the hatred now 
between the Bulgarians and Greeks is something terrible." 
And on Sunday, August 17th, he wrote again, "I am sorry 
to lose all the events at The Hague, the opening of the 
Peace Palace, which Mr. Carnegie is to attend ; but if we 
can get a little light in the dark and forbidding situation 
in the Balkans and so help to arouse the sentiment of the 
Christian world, it will be worth while. Have just finished 
reading a book on the Balkan War and find that I have 
the main facts well in hand." 

August 19th, the Commission met in conference in Paris 
with Baron d' Estournelles de Constant in the chair. The 
conference considered carefully what the aims of the 
inquiry should be and what methods should be pursued. 
It was agreed that an attempt should be made to learn 
from official and authoritative sources why the Balkan 
wars had happened, who were responsible for them, and to 
what extent there had been infractions of the laws of war 
and acts of cruelty. It was agreed to study the economic, 
social, and moral consequences of the wars. There was 
some hope also that the inquiry could open up possibilities 
of bringing about better feeling and of establishing per- 



122 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

manent peace in the Balkan peninsula. This hope seems 
to have been Mr. Button's. The others were skeptical. 

Austrian and German members of the commission were 
finally, for different reasons, unable to act with it. The 
men who started for the Balkans on August 20th ^ were, 
besides Mr. Button and Mr. Brailsford, Professor Miliu- 
kov, representing Russia, and M. Justin Godart, repre- 
senting France. At Belgrad the Commission found itself 
in trouble on acount of its Russian member, Miliukov, 
who had published criticisms of Serbia. Unless he were 
withdrawn from the Commission, the Serbian Government 
would not receive or help it. The Government would give 
to the Commission, without Miliukov, every aid in its 
power. "We felt that we must stand together," writes 
Button, "and that, of course, ended it. We went back to 
the hotel and in five minutes a young secretary from the 
Foreign Office, Br. Mikailovitch, came to ask us when 
we would leave Belgrad, and to say that he had been 
deputed to accompany us to the frontier." Meanwhile the 
Belgrad papers violently denounced Miliukov, and in the 
evening while he sat with friends in a cafe there was an 
attempt to incite a mob-attack upon him. 

Mr. Button in Belgrad presented letters of introduc- 
tion, which the Serbian Minister in London, Mr. Slavko 
Grouitch, had given him to Mme. Grouitch, the Min- 
ister's wife. 

"She is," Button writes, "a beautiful, intelligent woman 
— a native of Virginia, educated at Chicago University 
and at the classical school at Athens, where Tarbell ^ was 

1 They went by way of Vienna and Buda-Pest to Belgrad. One 
echo of the train-ride is preserved in one of Button's home letters in 
this form: "Brailsford believes he heard me snore last night, but I 
tell him he must not believe all he hears"; which shows that at least 
one member of the Commission was approaching his errand in the 
right spirit of caution. 

2 Frank B. Tarbell, valedictorian of the Yale class of 1873. 



COI>LEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 123 

her teacher and where she met her husband while he was 
Minister there. She talked very freely about everything, 
went with me to the military hospital, where she has been 
working, and took me through all the wards, where we 
saw all kinds of wounded men, Serbians mostly, but also 
Turks and Bulgarians and Montenegrins. It was most 
interesting to me as a real and vivid picture of the effect 
of modern war. 

"Madame Grouitch has won the love of the wounded 
soldiers and they all seemed to trust and admire her. 
While an American woman, she is very loyal to Serbia 
and thinks they are a clean, sincere, and earnest people, 
purely agricultural, with little real poverty except on 
account of the war. She says that they are overeducated 
at the top and too little educated at the bottom, and that 
they need industrial education of all kinds. She has 
started a little school for girls, most of whom come from 
the country, where they are taught needlework, knitting, 
and other household arts. She feels that a new spirit is 
needed in the Balkan Peninsula, that they need to be 
enthused with the idea of solidarity and brotherhood as 
well as with the importance of general education. Politics 
and war have been the bane of the whole region. 

"The peasants had sprung to arms with great enthu- 
siasm, feeling that the war was just, but, now that it was 
over, they were anxious to get back to their farms and 
wished for nothing but peace. This was not so with the 
officers or with some of the politicians. They are unwill- 
ing to work with their hands and simply want offices and 
promotion. Thus in all those countries they have an 
increasing number of people who, through ambition, are 
inclined to make trouble. They want a large standing 
army and large expenditures for military equipment. Thus 
the education of the people is retarded. 

"Then I took Mrs. Grouitch to the hotel. We sat in 
front for a time and drank tea; then at eight we went 



124 SAIVIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

into the dining hall and found my colleagues just finishing 
dinner. We sat down with them, had dinner and a long 
talk. She is an old friend of Miliukov and regrets any 
troubles that have happened. She said if she had known 
beforehand she might have helped to avert the troubles. 
I forgot to say that at the hospital we met the Crown 
Prince and she introduced me to him — a very pleasant 
and promising young man. 

"It is now very doubtful if we will be received in Greece, 
as it appears that Mr. Brailsford has been as pro-Bul- 
garian as Miliukov. One of the papers this morning pre- 
dicted that the Greek Government would take the same 
course as Serbia. If this is so, our mission which began 
so hopefully will end very soon. I feel sorry to think that 
this could all have been known in Paris just as well, and 
so the Commission could have been differently constituted. 
They could have telegraphed the Foreign Offices and 
learned just what our status would be. My whole idea 
of what a commission can do differs from that of the rest, 
and so I have to be rather reserved." 

The latter part of this letter was written August 26, 
while on the train from Belgrad to Salonika. 

"So here we are, crawling along at about twelve to 
fifteen miles an hour. The country is hilly; much like 
New Hampshire or some parts of Maine. We intend 
to do our best to accomplish something, but I am by no 
means sure that we will. At all events, I hope to find let- 
ters at Salonika. But it will take me nearly three days 
to get there, with no sleepers and rather scanty resources 
for food. Our courage is very good and we take things 
as they come." 

The Commission's first stop in Macedonia was at Uskub, 
near which in 1912 there was a decisive victory over the 
Turks. Here the aftermath of war awaited them. The 
letters say, "We are in the cholera section now. We drink 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 125 

nothing but wine and bottled or boiled water. I use the 
latter even for brushing my teeth." The Commission 
reached Salonika late in the evening of August 28th, and 
Mr. Button clearly describes the dilemma in which they 
immediately found themselves. 

"We were surprised and somewhat annoyed to find, soon 
after our arrival in Salonika, that the Serbian Govern- 
ment had communicated with the Greeks in regard to their 
attitude toward Miliukov, and it soon appeared that Dr. 
Brailsford was to be made the scapegoat in Greece. In 
his remarkably able and instructive book on Macedonia, 
published a few years before, he had, either directly or by 
implication, criticised the Greeks for their attitude on the 
subject of nationalities. Therefore, while permitting us 
to go about freely, the Government through M. Dragou- 
mis, Governor of Macedonia, announced its intention to 
furnish us no assistance. Perhaps the loss was not so great 
after all, for we soon made connections with various socie- 
ties and individuals whereby we got in touch with a large 
number of refugees, priests, and teachers from whom we 
gathered information concerning the war and other occur- 
rences connected therewith. I may say here that the 
report of the Commission, when published, will contain 
that portion of the information we collected, which was 
most thoroughly authenticated in Salonika, Sofia, and 
other places. We found plenty of people well informed 
who, through the experiences of themselves or their friends, 
were able to aid us. The Commission feels particularly 
indebted to the missionaries in Salonika and to the officers 
of the American Tobacco Company in Serres and Kavalla 
for their valued assistance." 

Dutton's letters home show more plainly the uncertainty 
in which the Commission debated the question of pro- 
cedure. He found the American Consul at Salonika, John 
E. Kehl, "cautious and non-committal at first," and doubt- 



126 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

ful whether the Commission could accomplish anything. 
It seemed to be known everywhere that the Government 
at Athens had peremptorily forbidden any aid to the Com- 
mission, on the ground that Miliukov and Brailsford were 
equally objectionable. 

"As everything is under military rule, it will be hard 
for us to accomplish much. Moreover, the press is now 
hostile and virulent, so that the people's minds are being 
poisoned, and we would be in some danger if we undertook 
to go about. Miliukov and Godart want to stop, while 
Brailsford and I are anxious to carry out our purposes. 
The argument in favor of going back to Paris, and advis- 
ing the Endowment to appoint another Commission which 
the Governments will accept, is very strong." 

A few hours later on the same day (August 30th) But- 
ton writes : 

"We have finally decided after long discussion to go on 
and do the best we can. I think I turned the scale in favor 
of this decision. My habit of wishing to bring some kind 
of success out of everything is too strong to let me give 
up till the last gun is fired. We are in a good cause and 
are working for humanity; so we must not flinch. We 
are all in good health and ready for hard work. For a 
few days we will probably be out in some villages looking 
up the alleged atrocities." 

On the following day, Sunday, August 31st, M. Godart, 
who was now the only member in favor of abandoning their 
effort, again protested strenuously against Brailsford's 
visiting the villages, on account of the feeling against him 
and the danger of international complications. Button 
and Brailsford would not agree with him, except in the 
one item that the village of Serres, regarded as a danger- 



COLLEGE AND LNTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 127 

point, should be left to Button alone. Button also drafted 
an appeal to the Greek Government, which would seem, 
from later developments, to have been informally presented 
to the proper authority. This statement was worded as 
follows : 

"Chosen by the officers of the Carnegie Endowment for 
International Peace to constitute a Commission of Inquiry 
concerning recent events in the Balkan states, we respect- 
fully ask the aid of the Greek Government. Our purpose 
is in no sense political, but rather scientific and humani- 
tarian. While wishing to know the truth of charges made 
by the nations recently at war that many inhuman acts 
have been committed, we are especially instructed to 
inquire into the economic condition prevailing in the con- 
quered territories, and into the future prospect for the 
educational and moral advancement of the various people 
dwelling therein. It may be added that the appeal made 
by the Greek Government and the Greek people to the 
civilized world furnished one of the strongest inducements 
to dispatch this Commission. Should you deem it desir- 
able to have further information, representatives of the 
Commission will proceed at once to Athens to wait upon 
you. The distinguished officers of the organization which 
sends us, citizens of the United States and Europe, found 
their justification for so doing in the growing sense of the 
solidarity of mankind and the unity of all human 
interests." 

Before separating on Monday, September 1st, the Com- 
mission agreed concerning the composition of their report. 
Miliukov should write the historical sketch and an analysis 
of the causes of the war; Brailsford, the effects of the 
war, the excesses, violations of international law, etc. ; 
Godart, the economic situation; and Button, the social 
and moral aspects of the war and the prospects for per- 



128 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

manent peace. Then Godart departed for Athens. Miliu- 
kov took the steamer for Constantinople. Brailsford and 
Dutton were to investigate the alleged atrocities in Mace- 
donia. Later the Commission would be reunited at Sofia, 
and proceed thence to Paris to frame their report. 

Dutton found difficulty in securing a dragoman, since 
all those gentry had a warning that the Commission was 
under an official ban. So he and Mr. Brailsford were 
detained together at Salonika until September 5th. This 
time they used in gathering information from people 
representing all the contending parties. Mr. Dutton 
talked with American missionaries, and visited various 
mission schools. One was a French Catholic mission where 
he found a Sister Augustine, "who is an Englishwoman, 
and most devoted and self-sacrificing." Through her he 
met the Bulgarian Catholic Bishop and the vice-Rector 
of the Bulgarian Gymnasium in Salonika. This group 
believed that the Greek administration was and would be 
intolerant towards the Bulgarians, and towards them- 
selves. 

Mr. Dutton also was deeply interested in the Thessa- 
lonica Agricultural Institute, a school, mission, and farm 
five miles outside of Salonika, conducted by Dr. John 
Henry House. Dr. House went to that region originally 
as an American missionary. Seeing the grave need of a 
scientific knowledge of farming, he established this school 
for boys, attended by both Bulgarians and Greeks, and 
characterized by Mr. Dutton as "one of the most be- 
neficent American enterprises in that whole eastern 
country." 

"The papers here," he writes in his letters home from 
Salonika, "while abusing the two men (i. e. Brailsford and 
Miliukov) say that Godart and I seem to be very fine gen- 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 129 

tlemen. In spite of these obstacles, and even threats, we 
are going right along gathering our information, and hope 
to make a report of some value. Of course to sift evidence 
concerning atrocities is not easy, as everybody is afraid 
to talk. We, also, have to be careful, as the city is full 
of spies and we must be sure that we will not be reported. 
We had a queer experience yesterday. A reporter from 
the Paris Temps visited us Monday, bringing photographs 
and volunteering lots of information about the Bulgars. 
Yesterday he came out in the local French paper here 
and denounced us as working in the interest of Bulgarians 
and not worthy of confidence or attention. The Governor 
General here has warned me against going to Serres, as 
Brailsford would be in danger of attack. Most reluctantly 
Brailsford has consented to let me go there, while he is 
working at Kukush. Horrible things were done in these 
places. The question is, who did them? We are gradu- 
ally running the thing to cover." 

Finally Mr. Dutton found a guide and interpreter, Mr. 
Boiadjian, who was willing to go with him, an American 
citizen and a Catholic, who spoke English poorly, and 
knew something of a half dozen other languages. How 
they fared, this letter, written while en route to Serres, 
will tell : 

"I don't know whether you would laugh or cry if you 
knew the difficulties I have had in getting the necessary 
military permit to go out of the city. They seem to think 
well of me and are disposed to let me go where I plan, but 
are fearfully opposed to Brailsford and will put every 
possible obstacle in his way. I expected to start on Tues- 
day, but Brailsford was taken sick the night before and 
so we had to give it up. Then Wednesday there was no 
train, and we only got our papers signed last evening. So 
we packed up last evening and were up at six to get to the 



130 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

train in good time. Brailsford had his passport vised by 
the English Consul, or rather through him, while the 
American Consul, after a day's work for his assistant, got 
a paper from the military authorities, permitting me to 
go to Serres. There I will have to get another permit for 
Drama, for Doxato, and then back to Salonika. 

"When we got to the station there was a crowd of sev- 
eral hundred, pushing for tickets. They sold in this one 
only third class places, and they said they were all sold. 
I told the officer in charge that if he did not honor our per- 
mit I should complain to the Governor General. Finally 
they let us have third class tickets, and we went to 
get on the train. Brailsford was disposed to get on where 
there was hardly standing room, among the filthiest peo- 
ple you ever saw. I said, 'I will not travel one day under 
such conditions.' I then went to the extreme end of the 
train, and in the last coupe were only an officer and a 
priest, so in we got and felt quite pleased. In about five 
minutes the chief policeman of the station came, and said 
an order had been telephoned not to let Brailsford go, that 
he had no proper permission. Brailsford is an English- 
man and obstinate, but it was no use. He had to get out 
and will appeal to his Consul and perhaps make quite a 
stir. He was simply going to Kukush, three hours, and 
hoped to return to-morrow. He learned long ago that he 
could not go to Serres. 

"I expect to reach Serres by four this afternoon and 
some time to-morrow go out to Drama and then drive to 
Doxato, where some of the worst things occurred. Hope to 
get back to Salonika by Sunday p. m. or Monday. Now 
you need not have the slightest concern about me; I am 
in good health and I am sensible about my eating and 
drinking. I have a bottle of aseptic, one of cognac, and 
one of good red wine. Also we have a large lunch basket 
bought on purpose, with bread, cheese, bottled water, and 
other things, so that we are not dependent upon the poor 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 131 

inn we will find out here. It amuses me immensely to think 
that, after all the talk there has been about visiting these 
places, I should be the one to do it, the only seriously 
hard thing we have had to do as yet. I know I will be 
glad after it is over that I did it. . . . Brailsford will go 
to-day and try to get military permit for Kukush, but my 
dragoman says he will not succeed, that they do not 
intend to let him go outside the city, until he goes away." 

"Saturday, p. m., September 5th. Serres. 

"I have been received with open arms here. The leading 
banker took me to his house and has entertained me 
royally. At dinner last night he invited the leading men, 
and to-day at luncheon he had both the military and civil 
governors with us — plenty of wine, champagne, and a very 
good table. I must be careful and not overdrink. (?) 
Have just been resting an hour and now we are going out 
to visit the Austrian and Italian Consuls and a school- 
master of the Agricultural School. I will not try to 
tell you what I have seen and heard while here. Evidently 
the Bulgarians, during their few months of occupation, 
committed all kinds of horrors. They looted the entire 
Grecian and Turkish quarters of the city and burned four 
thousand houses, many of them fine mansions. My host 
had everything destroyed — his home and his bank. 

"It seems that the Governor of Salonika telegraphed to 
Mr. Shinnis, my host, and asked him to see that every- 
thing was done for me. Had it not been for Miliukov 
'and Brailsford I believe it would have been so every- 
where." 

Mr. Brailsford's English persistence succeeded better 
than Mr. Dutton had feared. Under date of September 
8th, he wrote to Mr. Dutton, still from Salonika, it is 
true, yet with a pardonable note of triumph : 

"I was turned out of yet another train after your 
departure, after having got a permit direct from Dragou- 



132 SAMUEL TRAIN DUTTON 

mis, and got to Kukush only the next day. The news- 
papers are still in full cry against me, congratulating the 
Government on its \4gilance in preventing me from going 
to Kukush. But all the same I got there, and saw all that 
I wanted to see." 

Mr. Button was greatly and most agreeably surprised 
by the action of the Greek Government while he was at 
Serres and afterwards. He says : 

"The Greek Government exerted itself to furnish all 
possible aid and to instruct the civil and military gover- 
nors in the places visited to give entertainment and to pro- 
vide every possible assistance. . . . 

"As the train came, [i. e. when he was leaving Serres] 
a young officer stepped up and said he had been sent to 
look after us and soon had us safely established in a first 
class compartment, the only other occupant being a young 
officer of artillery. We [Button and Boiadjian] opened 
our lunch basket and invited him to share our sardines, 
wines, and jam, which he did. It was a cool, beautiful 
night, with moon, and I enjoyed looking out across the 
plain at the high mountains, which seemed almost to touch 
the sky. 

"We did not arrive at Brama till 12 :30 and I was sleepy 
by that time. When we got off, the Secretary of the Mili- 
tary Governor and the Chief of Police met me and took 
me in a carriage to the hotel where a room had been secured 
by turning two officers out, all arranged by telegraph from 
Serres. Well, the hotel was the worst yet, and I presume 
I will meet with nothing more trying in all my trip. But 
it was soon forgotten yesterday in the great attention and 
kindness of the authorities. They came before we were 
through breakfast. We then called upon the Military 
Governor and a few others. 

"They had hoped to send us on in a motor car, but none 
was available that day, so they secured a good landau 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 133 

with three horses, the young lieutenant sitting with me, 
and Mr. Boiadjian, my interpreter, opposite. Then we 
had two mounted men, riding one on either side of us. 
They were young corporals, with fine horses, were fully 
armed and equipped, and I am sure you would have 
enjoyed seeing us. I felt like a Governor General as we 
went clattering out of the town and over the hard road. 
Then we went to Doxato and then in the afternoon on to 
Kavalla, about thirty miles in all, arriving here about 
7 p. M., when many people were sitting in the cafe, all of 
whom wondered what was going to happen. I will not try 
to describe the terrible things we saw and heard at Doxato. 
I have written it all in my large note book, which is now 
nearly full. . . . 

"I feel now that I have done a great piece of work, made 
some good friends, and in a measure redeemed the Com- 
mission. . . . Some of the scenes witnessed and some of the 
stories told by the survivors are too terrible to repeat, 
but the official report will give some adequate idea of what 
took place in Serres and Doxato. The new governments 
organized by the Greeks are making desperate efforts to 
take care of the thousands of people whose homes and 
property have been destroyed and who are in absolute 
want. It may be said here that the course of action pur- 
sued by Greeks, Bulgarians, and Turks — for bands of 
Turks were permitted to arm themselves in some cases and 
commit depredations — was to extort as much money as 
possible from the inhabitants of the towns and villages, 
to kill many of the men, maltreat the women, and, after 
sacking the houses, burn them. Where Turks were engaged, 
the Turkish houses remained standing; where Bulgarians 
were active, practically all Greek houses were destroyed. 
Over against this is the fact that the Greeks drove out 
the Turks from a large number of villages in territory 
which under the treaty belonged to the Bulgarians, and 
burned very many villages. 



134 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"This entire country of southern Macedonia, as indeed 
much of the Balkan country, is very fertile and only needs 
modern methods of agriculture to bring rich returns. The 
American Tobacco Company had eight large magazines 
in Serres, six of which were burned by the Bulgarians and 
Turks. In Kavalla the Company has several other large 
structures, which are the most conspicuous of all the 
buildings in the city. It was necessary to wait here two 
days in order to get a steamer back to Salonika, thus giv- 
ing opportunity for rest and for writing of notes. Upon 
reaching Salonika I found that my associates had taken 
time by the forelock and had proceeded to Sofia ; hence it 
was necessary to take another long and laborious journey 
alone, by the way of Uskub and Nish to Sofia. 

"I was told that the Governor General of Macedonia 
(Dragoumis) wished to see me. . . . Late in the afternoon 
I called on him at his elegant residence, and his attractive 
daughter acted as his interpreter. He was most cordial 
and I had an important talk with him about some rather 
large plans. . . . 

"Reports have been sent out from certain quarters that 
the Commission has broken up. All that will be corrected 
in time, for we will make quite a stir before we get through. 
The Commission can do great good with some steering and 
that is what I am trying to do. ... I forgot to mention 
one thing which the American Consul said as I bade him 
good-by: 'I think it somewhat remarkable that a man of 
your age should have ventured to go out into the country 
as you have done. I am not sure that I would have cared 
to do it.' 

"On the frontier my colleagues, as well as myself, were 
met by government officials who escorted us to our hotels 
in Sofia. During our stay of two weeks every possible 
attention was shown us and we were assigned apartments 
in the Parliament House for the purpose of taking depo- 
sitions. Every day and hour was filled and we saw and 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 135 

heard much that was interesting and important. Every- 
body was determined to make us think that Bulgaria has 
done nothing wrong. . . . 

"The record of a single day will give some idea of our 
experiences. In the morning at eight o'clock we were 
taken out by the Ministry of War four miles to the parade 
grounds, where we saw drawn up twenty-six hundred Bul- 
garian prisoners who had just been sent back from Serbia 
where they had been confined in a fortress for about four 
weeks. There were also about four hundred peasants — 
old men, most of them — who had been taken from their 
homes evidently to make the number of prisoners as large 
as possible. Their ages ran as high as ninety-five. In 
spite of the sufferings they claimed to have endured, they 
were neat and healthy in appearance. Later in the morn- 
ing we were at the Holy Synod, hearing the statements 
of the metropolitan bishops who had been driven out of 
the cities of Macedonia by the Greeks and Serbians. They 
complained of having been imprisoned and treated roughly, 
and in some cases cruelly. In the afternoon we found 
awaiting us in the Parliament House nearly one hundred 
schoolmasters who also had been arrested. Upon their 
refusal to renounce their nationality and become Greeks 
or Serbians, whichever it might be, they were held as 
prisoners and treated in such a way that they felt com- 
pelled to flee the country.^ Their families had been left 
behind and they knew little of them. 

"That made a full day and yet other days were taken 
with equall}^ important matters. I was entertained by 
Lieutenant and Mrs. Miles, U. S. military attache of 
the Balkan States, and the Commission as a whole received 
courtesies from the Foreign Office and from the royal 
family. 

1 It is said that during the summer and fall of 1913, one hundred 
and fifty thousand Bulgarians fled or were driven from their homes 
in Macedonia. 



136 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"My conversation with Czar Ferdinand was substan- 
tially as follows: 

"He began: 'I am so glad to talk with an American 
who takes an intelligent interest in us.' 

"I replied: 'I remember when you came here, and I 
rejoice in all you have been able to do for the nation. I 
am anxious that our Commission may serve a good end, 
that our report may be a first step toward constructive 
measures for peace.' 

"Said the Czar: 'I am always for peace. I have been 
able to prevent war till last year, and tried hard to do 
so then, but when public opinion swells and overflows 
its banks it is impossible to stop it.' 

"He spoke of the gross injustice of the treaty of Buca- 
rest. If there could be some slight correction of boun- 
daries, there would be hopes of having good feeling and 
of promoting permanent peace. He spoke of his love for 
botany and of the solace it had given him amid all the 
anxieties of his office. Then he said: 'Your ideas are 
noble, and I am grateful for your deep interest and for 
what the United States is doing.' 

"I replied that I would report his words to Dr. Butler. 
He said that he wanted to visit the United States with 
Prince Boris and thought that he would do so. 

"Later I talked with Queen Eleanor. She spoke frankly 
of the national troubles, the injustice of Rumania, the 
attitude of the Powers, the vast numbers of refugees to 
be cared for, and the need of a competent woman to take 
charge of the training school for nurses. She would like 
to have an American woman with experience, and I prom- 
ised to write more fully about it. 

"In the hope of saving a little time in our journey 
homeward, the Government sent two powerful motor cars 
to take us through the Balkan mountains, a ride of 
one hundred and forty miles, to the little city of Vidin on 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 137 

the Danube, which had recently been besieged for twenty 
days by the Serbians. The cholera was raging here, as 
it had been in practically every place which we visited, and 
we were much disappointed that we could not at once cross 
the Danube and take the Orient Express for Paris, but 
strict quarantine was maintained by the Rumanians and 
sentinels were posted along the opposite shore. We, there- 
fore, had to wait two days and take the steamer fifty 
miles up the river, where we succeeded in getting a train 
for Budapest. 

"During our stay in Vidin we were entertained by the 
Mayor and other municipal officers, who gave us the best 
accommodations the city afforded and were with us almost 
constantly. Here as elsewhere we felt the warmth of 
human interest, which appealed to us strongly. All these 
peoples, while differing in national characteristics and 
temperament, have special qualities of strength and 
promise. We could see much to admire in them all, even 
if they are backward in their civilization, and their politi- 
cal relationships are most bitter and virulent. The mem- 
bers of the Commission would hate to do anything or say 
anything to add to the reproaches which have been cast 
upon them and to make their burdens any heavier than 
they are now. The whole situation ought to appeal to the 
civilized world, and philanthropists and lovers of peace 
cannot have, and never will have, a more pressing prob- 
lem than that presented in the Balkans. 

"As yet there are few restraints upon war. These 
Balkan States have no commercial relations to speak of, 
and are not united in any common movements for scholar- 
ship or humanity. They know each other as enemies and 
antagonists and while, during the years of their national 
independence, they have for the most part kept up diplo- 
matic relations, there is no assurance of permanent peace 
unless something is done to soften the asperity with which 
the Bulgarians have been treated by the Bucarest Con- 



138 SAMUEL TRAIN DUTTON 

ference, or to establish a new set of international relations 
making for good will." 

The report of the Commission, in which all the members 
concurred, was published by the Carnegie Endowment in 
1914. It is a stately volume of four hundred and eighteen 
pages. One third of it is filled with authentic testimony 
of wanton cruelties committed by all parties in the Balkan 
wars, stories of the truth of which the Commission was 
satisfied from personal observation. Mr. Dutton was the 
author, as had been previously agreed, of the seventh and 
last chapter, entitled, "The Moral and Social Conse- 
quences of the Wars and the Outlook for the Future of 
Macedonia." This chapter is an expansion, with much 
illustrative material, of the views outlined in the conclud- 
ing paragraphs of the passages of his correspondence 
above quoted. 

After Mr. Button's return home and resumption of his 
duties for his last year at Teachers College and Horace 
Mann School, he devoted much time to the preparation of 
the Commission's report. By agreement, the different 
members exchanged their proofsheets and each one con- 
tributed his revisions, so that the final form of the report 
should have unanimous approval. In the occasional divi- 
sions of opinion Mr. Dutton was able to act as an arbiter, 
and he threw his influence successfully in favor of the 
inclusive publication of the testimony concerning the 
excessive cruelties of the soldiers and people of all the 
contending nations. 

He told the boys of the Horace Mann School about 
Dr. House's Farm School at Salonika, and inspired them 
to send a box of clothing for the boys at the farm, a gift 
which Dr. House received at the holiday time with much 
gratitude. The Farm School had opened for the year 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 139 

1913-14, with practically only Bulgarian boys in attend- 
ance, since both Greece and Serbia refused passports to 
boys wishing to go there. Dr. House wrote later that he 
had supposed that the school was sheltering fifty-three 
Bulgarian boys, one Greek, and one Serbian, but that 
after a government official had visited the school and col- 
lected its statistics, he found that his Bulgarian boys 
numbered six, and the rest were about equally divided 
between Greece and Serbia. 

During Mr. Dutton's stay in Sofia he found time to 
visit (Sept. 17, 1913) the girls' school at Samokov, which 
is the central mission station of the American Board in 
Bulgaria. Miss I. L. Abbott, the principal of the school, 
was also a member of the American Relief Committee of 
Bulgaria, formed to remedy the serious deficiencies in 
medical and hospital service in that country. Mr. Dut- 
ton also met in Sofia Mme. Hadji-Mischeff, the American 
wife of a Bulgarian diplomat, and the secretary of the 
Relief Committee. The work and aim of this organization 
formed the main topic of Mr. Dutton's conversation with 
the Bulgarian Queen, who was the Honorary Chairman of 
the Committee and deeply interested in it. As soon as 
he reached home, he went to work to fulfill his promise 
to the Queen, and he more than succeeded. 

By January 3, 1914, he was able to report that he 
would send "at the expense of the American Red Cross 
and benevolent people, one superintendent, and possibly 
two," for the Bulgarian Queen's training school for nurses. 
At the same time he had completed arrangements'^ to 
have four Bulgarian girls come to New York and enter 

1 All these benefactions were arranged in conference between Miss 
Jane A. Delano, representative of tlie American Red Cross, Miss 
Maxwell of the Presbyterian Hospital, Mrs. Helen Hartley Jenkins, 
and Mr. Dutton. 



140 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

the nurses' training course in the Presbyterian Hospital. 
The authorities of the Hospital stipulated only that the 
girls should have a good command of English. 

"This requirement," remarks Mr. Dutton, "can be 
easily met, as the Constantinople College for Women and 
the Institute for Girls at Samokov have graduated a large 
number of Bulgarian young ladies who are well trained 
in English." 

At the same time he started in motion a previously 
formed scheme for establishing in agricultural colleges in 
the United States free scholarships for Bulgarian stu- 
dents, a project which was thwarted by the Great War. 

A letter from Mme. Hadji-Mischeff, dated at Sofia, 
February 6th, gives a picture of the situation that Mr. 
Dutton was working to improve — at such long range : 

"Dear Professor Dutton: 

"First I must apologize for not having answered your 
letter of Jan. 3rd, sooner. My excuse is that I am really 
frightfully busy between the committee and the work we 
have undertaken in the hospital. You will be surprised 
to hear that there are still some 500 wounded in Sofia — 
most of them amputated, who are waiting for their wooden 
legs and arms. The Queen has started giving them work, 
and I am in charge of the place we visited together, where 
we have about twenty men cutting out and painting the 
little wooden dolls of which I am sending you a pair. We 
do the finishing at home and I had no idea that it was 
going to be such a job! However, it doesn't matter, if 
we make some money for the invalids. Many of the men 
knit and crochet, but that is not my line. 

"I can't tell you how glad I am that the matter about 
the superintendent for the training school has been so 
satisfactorily arranged. I gave your letter to the Queen 
the day after she returned, and I could see how pleased 
she was that everything has worked out so well, owing to 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 141 

you, I am sure. She was rather upset over the idea that 
there might have been friction of any kind, and was very 
anxious that you should arrange matters as you thought 
best. . . . 

"We have been very busy buying things for the refugees 
with the money the American Red Cross has sent out. Mr. 
Holway is distributing in the Strumitza district, which was 
so devastated by the Greeks last summer, and Mr. Wood- 
ruff is in Malko-Tirnovo, where, he wires there are '3,000 
women and children, all barefoot.' In that district there 
are some 9,000 people to help. The $15,000 the Red Cross 
have sent will not go very far, but we hope they will send 
more. Miss Abbott and other friends of Bulgaria are 
apparently acting very energetically and we are told that 
the tide of opinion in America seems to be turning. One 
is glad to hope this is so, for the worst part of all our 
disasters was the credence given to the calumnies spread 
all over the world about Bulgaria." 

In close conjunction with these practical achievements, 
Mr. Button summed up the best results of his labors on 
the Balkan Commission and the fruit of his thought on 
the prevention of future wars in the Balkan peninsula 
in a memorandum which could not be included in the Com- 
mission's report, but which was prepared for submis- 
sion to President Butler, as the Chairman of the Carnegie 
Endowment's Division of Intercourse and Education. 

"Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, "January 5, 1914. 

"Columbia University, New York. 
"My dear Dr. Butler: 

"As you have opened the door for me to make some 
suggestions concerning the possibility of conciliation in 
the Balkan Peninsula, I am going to take the opportunity 
of doing so. 

"There are many difficulties in the way of peace, which 
I will briefly mention : 



142 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"I. The national and racial hatreds which, always 
fierce, have been newly awakened by recent events, 

"II. The deep feelings of resentment felt by Bulgaria 
on account of the Bucharest Treaty. After having made 
great sacrifices in the war with the Turks, Roumania 
forced her to surrender one of the choicest parts of her 
territory. 

"III. The unrestrained and barbarous methods of 
carrying on war employed by all the Balkan nations, with 
moral consequences to all concerned so terrible that they 
can hardly be appreciated. 

"IV. The general backward state of education, the 
devitalized and decadent condition of state religion, the 
instability of political institutions, and the lack of ethical 
standards. 

"V. The absence of those restraints upon war which 
operate in other parts of Europe, such as interdependence 
through trade, easy communication and intercourse, as 
well as knowledge and appreciation of one nation for the 
other. There can be no cooperation until there is a 
mutual appreciation of differing temperaments and ideals. 
The disgust and hatred with which the Greeks and the 
Bulgars now regard each other must be changed to a 
respect based upon acquaintance and knowledge. 

"VI. The heavy military burdens which, added to the 
debts already incurred, are bound to cripple international 
intercourse and prevent rapid educational and social 
progress. 

"Any action which might be taken would be, of course, 
either official or unofficial. In either case some strong 
influential force would have to be brought to bear from 
the outside, and at the present time there is no other 
agency so competent as the Carnegie Endowment. 

"Two possible courses are open in the way of official 
action. 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 143 

"First : The Powers may call a conference, as was done 
in 1878, when Bismarck presided and the Berlin Treaty, 
far-reaching in its consequences, was signed. 

"Such a conference should undertake to review the two 
wars, consider the claims of all parties, revise the 
Bucharest Treaty in such a way as to present at least a 
semblance of justice and so compel the acquiescence and 
approval of interested nations and of the world generally. 
Roumania has been recalcitrant in her observance of the 
terms of the Berlin Treaty, especially in respect to her 
treatment of the Jews, to such an extent as to Avarrant an 
international conference for that reason if for no other. 
In short, the question of religious toleration in these lands 
might well be raised by the Powers, for the Berlin Treaty 
insisted upon that as something to be granted by all the 
Balkan States, as one of the conditions of recognizing 
their independence. Greece and Serbia have been most 
intolerant and are so to-day. 

"Second : Another method would be to persuade the 
Balkan States to submit all questions at issue and any 
claims which they may wish to make to the Hague Tribunal 
or to an International Commission selected and appointed 
in some manner to be agreed upon. If by either of these 
methods decisions were reached involving only a slight 
rectification of the Bucharest Treaty, and at the same 
time establishing the principle that mediation and con- 
ference are better than war for smoothing out differences, 
and that the world expects the Balkan States to adopt this 
method as other nations have done, the way would be open 
for unofficial agencies to put in their work for good will. 
Could the Carnegie Endowment persuade the State De- 
partment at Washington or some other influential foreign 
office in Europe to take the initiative along either of these 
lines, the end might be gained. 

"There is one other suggestion that has come to me 
from several sources, as, for example, Professor Hart of 



144. SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Harvard, who spent considerable time in the Balkans this 
summer, and Mr. Jackson, who has been for the past three 
years stationed at Bucharest as Minister to Roumania, 
Bulgaria, and Serbia, whom I chanced to meet some days 
ago. The suggestion is that the United States should 
establish legations both at Sofia and Belgrade so that, 
instead of having one Minister, we might have three 
competent men representing the United States and doing 
all in their power to promote good relations and good will. 

"Assuming that this situation cannot be remedied by 
official action, there remains open the possibility of such 
unofficial and beneficent efforts as can be organized by 
outside forces, having the means and the disposition to 
do so. 

"A. A wise, tactful, and experienced person might be 
commissioned by the Carnegie Endowment to visit the 
Balkan States, make the acquaintance of university men, 
scholars, publicists, and such statesmen as are known to 
favor justice and fair play. This agent would talk with 
them, discover the national animus, the sentiments felt 
toward neighboring nations, and public opinions as to the 
possibility of bringing about conciliation. This should 
be done quietly and as though by private initiative. This 
would take perhaps six months and might possibly occupy 
a year or more. The agent should be free and unham- 
pered, make friends, and command respect by his per- 
sonality and impartial attitude. 

"His reports from each country should reveal clearly 
the difficulties to be overcome and should indicate the 
names of those men who would be fit and competent to 
participate in a Balkan Conference, if one were called. 

"B. The next step would be to call a conference in some 
neutral country, as Switzerland, inviting not less than 
three and not more than six men from Serbia, Bulgaria, 
Greece, and Roumania, and one or two from Montenegro 
and Albania. Probably Turkey should be included. A 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 145 

very few men from the United States and Europe should 
be invited to meet with them. The conference, while unof- 
ficial, should have the general approval and sanction of 
the governments of the several countries involved, this 
approval and sanction to be obtained beforehand. The 
several governments might be invited to name at least one 
of the delegates and possibly half of them. On this point 
I am not very clear. 

"C. The fact that such a peace conference is called, 
will in itself be an impressive object lesson in that part 
of the world. Too much is not to be expected. It would 
be a beginning and would turn the attention of the best 
people toward the ideal of peace and escape from devas- 
tating war. Mutual acquaintance, and friendly recog- 
nition of the honesty and candor to be expected from men 
selected for such a conference would be valuable gains. 
The attention of the conference would properly be directed 
to the present and future rather than to the past. A mul- 
titude of fruitful questions would press for consideration, 
such as improved communication, interstate railways, and 
the possibilities of trade and trade routes. There would 
also be an opportunity to consider the possibility of 
exchanges of territory which would recognize, better than 
is now done, the claims of nationality. The field of relig- 
ious and educational toleration throughout that whole 
region would be a fruitfiil topic, and the possibility of 
cultural exchange, so that professors of the universities 
would go back and forth as is now done between the United 
States and Europe. 

"It might be expected that such a group of men, meeting 
together for several days, would pledge themselves to be 
faithful to the high purpose of preventing another war 
and of bringing about international cooperation. 

"This conference, if successful, would naturally grow 
into something larger and might become as influential in 
that part of the world as the Mohonk Conference has 



146 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

become in America. Diplomats, statesmen, and officers 
of the several governments might gradually be turned into 
this form of friendly interchange of views and ideals. After 
the first one or two meetings, the conference might be held 
successively in the several Balkan capitals. If this under- 
taking could be initiated and carried out successfully, it 
would very likely result in the capitalization of the highest 
intelligence and the best moral fiber in those nations as a 
sort of breakwater against war and in favor of peace. It 
would take Bulgaria six, eight, or ten years to be really 
ready to go to war again, and the aim should be to build 
up such moral barriers against the possibility of another 
tragedy of bloodshed and massacre as will insure the pro- 
tection and security of the millions of innocent people 
whose welfare is involved. 

"I was glad to find that Honorable Oscar S. Straus, who 
is quite familiar with conditions in the Balkans, regards 
this idea of unofficial action most hopefully and sympa- 
thetically. To speak frankly, I have little hope that official 
action can be secured, but that great good can be done 
unofficially I am most positive. 

"Sincerely yours, 
(Signed) "Samuel T. Dutton." 

These carefully considered and statesmanlike sugges- 
tions were made, it will be observed, seven months before 
the outbreak of the Great War, and five months before the 
murder of the Austrian Crown Prince. If the forces that 
Mr. Dutton outlined could have been functioning in the 
Balkans in the spring of 1914 there would have been, as 
he said, one more breakwater against the tides of selfish 
aggression. Dr. Butler submitted Mr. Dutton's draft- 
plan to sundry publicists and statesmen in England and 
France, who returned it to this country with comments. 
Soon afterward the war began. 

In the early part of March, 1914, Mr. Dutton's friend 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 147 

and former co-laborer, Dr. Snedden, then State Commis- 
sioner of Education in Massachusetts, sent Mr. Dutton a 
copy of his latest annual report, in which the commis- 
sioner had outlined some reorganization of secondary edu- 
cation in his State. 

He asked for Mr. Dutton's reaction upon his sugges- 
tions. Under date of March 19th, the veteran forwarded 
to Dr. Snedden these trenchant comments : 

"The most important part of what you present is your 
general arraignment of the aims of secondary education 
and the failure of teaching to realize those aims. This, 
of course, is a tremendous subject and well worthy of your 
attention. A stream does not rise much higher than its 
source. The teachers in our high schools have been edu- 
cated in our colleges and presumably understand what 
they are doing, and teach as well as did the professors 
who taught them. Moreover, the high value of high 
schools, faulty as they are, has long been a tradition in 
Massachusetts and you will doubtless find that many of 
those connected with them, as well as a good number of 
their patrons, feel that they are doing well, or at least 
are doing the best they know how to do. This leads me 
to say that I am not optimistic as to your accomplishing 
much through such a report, however excellent it may be. 

"In the first place, I assume that such a report has only 
a limited circulation, even among teachers. You may 
have some plan of getting this part of the report before 
the high school teachers of the state but, judging from 
my own observation and experience, I should not expect 
one high school teacher in twenty to see it, much less read 
it, I am surprised and shocked to find right here in the 
Horace Mann School that many of our teachers never 
see some of the best articles relating to secondary educa- 
tion, and I might make the same remark of some of the 
Teachers College professors. 



14.8 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"Next, supposing the teachers of the State do see the 
report, some of them will not be able to interpret it in 
terms of clear understanding of the ideas which you would 
like to impress. Some will be angry and hence recalci- 
trant. Others will be indifferent and go on as before. A 
few, possibly a goodly number, will be aroused to a state 
of inquiry, and will wish to have more light as to possible 
ways of improving their work. Then, as you have pointed 
out, there is that portentous barrier to progress, the 
college entrance examination. Something has been done, 
and it is possible that a great deal more can be done to 
relieve that situation. Your suggestion — ^which I have 
not heard made before — to wit, that college examinations 
should not be upon subjects but should be tests of various 
kinds of ability in various fields of study, seems to me 
most excellent. I wish you might develop that into a short 
paper, making it as definite and concrete as possible. 

"Keeping in mind this rather pessimistic view of the 
situation, which I have expressed, the question still remains 
what can you do to start an upward movement. I can 
think of only two lines of effort which would be likely to 
lead to some results : 

"First — To take a subject like Latin and, with the help 
of one or two of the best Latin teachers whom you can 
call to your assistance, prepare a brief statement as to 
the richest possibilities for culture and power in the teach- 
ing of Latin, and then put down a few briefly stated sug- 
gestions as to how the study and teaching of Latin may 
be directed towards those ends. I mention 'study and 
teaching' together, because I think all agree that teacher 
and pupils should work together for certain practical 
accomplishments. What those half dozen or more aims 
should be I will not undertake to suggest, but my own 
belief is that Latin has been and is a powerful aid in the 
understanding and use of the mother tongue, and that, 
in its teaching, the more successfully Latin and English 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 149 

are connected and the more the student is trained to dis- 
cover shades of meaning in Latin words, which are service- 
able in English, the better. Another, as I think, very 
palpable value in Latin study is what it gives back in the 
way of power of consecutive attention. It is a difficult 
study, more so perhaps than any other in the high school 
curriculum and no pupil can translate an author without 
putting his mind upon it. This one thing, in this day of 
distraction, is invaluable. 

"Such a statement, with suggestions as to a few of the 
aims and methods in teaching Latin, which would perhaps 
cover two or three pages of commercial note paper and 
which could be sent to all the Latin teachers of the state, 
would be useful. 

"Second — Still more valuable, as I take it, would be to 
have one of your agents search out a few of the most com- 
petent Latin teachers of the state, say to them that you 
want to use them as beacon lights, thus inspiring them to 
bring their work to a high degree of perfection. Then let 
it be noised abroad that it is possible for anyone, by visit- 
ing these teachers, to see something that approximates to 
the ideal which you would like to have universally accepted. 
One or two such fine teachers in eastern Massachusetts, 
whose every recitation would reveal those rich values, lin- 
guistic, historical, social, which inhere in Latin teaching, 
would be more influential in reforming instruction than 
any number of lectures, reports, or printed articles. The 
psychology of this kind of effort has always been inter- 
esting to me. Time and again I have seen teachers go to 
visit one who has gained reputation, and come back, either 
saying that they found nothing worth while, or full of 
fault-finding, and yet proceeding at once to reform their 
own teaching after the pattern of what they had seen. 

"I have similar ideas as to the best ways of improving 
the teachings of other subjects, but will not tell you things 
which you probably know better than I. 



150 SAMUEL TRAIN DUTTON 

"The long and short of what I would suggest is this: 
having written this excellent report, which will doubtless 
make considerable impression upon some of the more prom- 
inent educators, I think it would be well to kindle fires in 
different parts of the State, using for this purpose the 
best men and women whom your agents can uncover." 

Never had the sympathetic cooperation of the whale 
staff of teachers and co-workers at the Horace Mann 
School been more marked than it was during this last year 
of Mr. Dutton's active supervision. This was always the 
aim of Mr. Dutton's best hope and endeavor, yet he was 
scarcely prepared for the universal and grateful recog- 
nition of his labors to that end, which awaited him at the 
close of the year. He called a final meeting of the teach- 
ers, in order that he might thank them for their loyal 
support, assure them of his abiding interest in them, per- 
sonally and collectively, and suggest to them future possi- 
bilities of development in the school. At the close of his 
remarks. Dean Russell arose, and eloquently expressed his 
appreciation of Mr. Dutton's services in administration 
and of the spirit of contentment and cooperation which 
Mr. Dutton had fostered. With a few graceful words of 
introduction, Professor Baker, in behalf of the teachers, 
presented to Mr. Dutton a beautiful Tiffany watch, and 
an engrossed series of resolutions, as follows : 

1900 1914 

TEACHERS COLLEGE SCHOOLS 

New York City 

TO 

DOCTOR SAMUEL TRAIN DUTTON 

upon his retirement from the 

TEACHERS COLLEGE SCHOOLS 

we, his friends and associates desire not only to express 

our appreciation of the devoted and eflScient service he has 



COLLEGE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 151 

rendered in the development of the schools but also to 
acknowledge gratefully our indebtedness to him for the 
spirit of kindliness, sympathy, and helpfulness which he 
has indelibly impressed both by word of mouth and by his 
daily life, upon all those associated with him. 

THEREFORE, regretting deeply that the close re- 
lationship of so many years is about to be broken, but 
trusting that the substance of that relationship will en- 
dure, we wish DOCTOR dutton every success in the broad 
field of usefulness to which he is about to devote himself, 
and we present to him this token of 

OUR AFFECTION 
AND GOOD WILL. 

THE STAFF OF TEACHERS COLLEGE SCHOOLS 

May the sixth. One thousand nine hundred and fourteen. 

Mr. Dutton was completely surprised, and so overcome 
that he replied with great difficulty. His self-control was 
usually preserved under appeals to the emotions, but in 
this case the atmosphere of the meeting was charged with 
the intense sorrow of parting. 

A few days later he was the guest of honor at a dinner 
given by the faculty of Teachers College, when Professor 
David Eugene Smith, as the spokesman for his colleagues, 
presented to Mr. Dutton, with winged words of friendship, 
a beautiful set of amethyst stones in scarf-pin and cuff- 
links. Other members of the faculty also gave him greet- 
ing and wished him Godspeed in the same vein. At this 
meeting was made the first announcement that the trustees 
of the college had conferred upon Mr. Dutton the title 
of Professor Emeritus. Thus ended his career as a teacher 
and superintendent of schools. 

A note of official farewell from Mr. Dutton to the pres- 
ident of the University elicited this reply : 



152 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"June 5, 1914. 
"Dear Professor Dutton : 

"I thank you for your note of the 3rd, which comes 
just as I was on the point of writing to tell you how much 
I regret that the time has come for you to withdraw from 
active service, and how much I feel that we all owe to your 
kindly and devoted service during the past fourteen years. 

"It is a pleasure to know that you are withdrawing 
from this work while in the best of health and spirits, and 
that the great causes which enlist your sympathy will 
continue to have the benefit of your powerful advocacy 
and support. 

"With expressions of high regard, and every good 
wish for the years that are to come, I am, 
"Faithfully yours, 

"Nicholas Mueray Butlee." 



CHAPTER IV 

I.AST DAYS 

1914—1919 

Mr. Button had expected to go to Europe in the sum- 
mer of 1914 to attend the meeting of the Interparliamen- 
tary Union at Stockholm in August and the Twenty-first 
International Peace Congress at Vienna in September. 
After that, he planned to visit Constantinople and devote 
considerable time to the affairs of the College, of which 
he had just become the treasurer. The outbreak of the 
Great War kept him at home, and very greatly increased 
the financial difficulties of his new position. 

He opened an office for his various activities in the 
Educational Building at 70 Fifth Avenue, wherein were 
also offices of his friend, Mr. George A. Plimpton, asso- 
ciated with him in the World Peace Foundation, the New 
York Peace Society, and other good works, and near also 
to his son-in-law, Dr. Frederick Lynch, secretary of the 
new Church Peace Union and editor of the religious weekly 
paper. The Christian WorTc. 

Mr. Button and President Patrick were concurrently 
working upon policies of development for Constantinople 
College, which Mr. Button had clearly formulated in his 
own mind, comprising not only the collegiate and prepara- 
tory schools, but also a school of education or teachers 
college to train officers for the armies of civilization, a 
vocational school for industrial workers, and a medical 
department for instruction in the use of medicine, in nurs- 

153 



154 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

ing and sanitation. In the plans of Mr. Dutton and Dr. 
Patrick for the growth of the college, the new Ambassador 
of the United States, Mr. Henry Morgenthau, who had 
come to Constantinople in 1913, became deeply interested. 
Through him Mr. Dutton and Dr. Butler kept the Sublime 
Porte informed concerning the very creditable progress of 
the Turkish students who had, through Mr. Dutton's 
instrumentality, entered Columbia University, and Messrs. 
Morgenthau and Dutton were working together to send 
to the United States another group of young men of the 
same sort. 

In February, 1914, Mr. Morgenthau wrote to Mr. 
Dutton : 

"It has been one of my greatest privileges here to 
visit the Woman's College over at Scutari and at Arnao- 
utkeuy. Dr. Patrick and I have already grown to be very 
warm friends. Yesterday, at her invitation, I delivered a 
discourse at Scutari on 'The Development of Social Serv- 
ice Into a Profession.' It was most refreshing to address 
such an appreciative and responsive audience as the girls 
proved to be. You can certainly feel proud to be con- 
nected with such a fine institution." 

Four new buildings for the college were dedicated in 
June, 1914, and Mr. Dutton, as treasurer, proudly called 
attention to the fact that the trustees and friends of the 
college had provided ample funds for the construction and 
equipment of "a plant second to none in its completeness." 

Already, at the holiday season in the winter of 1913-14, 
a conference of four American colleges^ within the Turk- 
ish empire, had been held at Smyrna, and had discussed in 
a statesmanlike manner the campaign of reconstruction 

1 Robert College and the American College for Girls at Constan- 
tinople, Anatolia College at Beirut, and International College at 
Smyrna. 



LAST DAYS 156 

in which they were all associated. "This conference," 
wrote Mr. Dutton in cordial approval, "marks an advance 
in the educational situation in the Near East, and gives 
the proper emphasis to the fact that in all missionary 
work to-day education and medical care are not only the 
newest factors but the most effective in winning the appre- 
ciation and good will of backward populations." 

When the cloud of the Great War settled over the Near 
East, all plans of development were halted. The Turkish 
students at Columbia were at once entangled in serious 
difficulties. One of them, Emin Bey, had received his doc- 
tor's degree in June, 1914, and had gone home before the 
world fell to pieces. Four others, Messrs. Djevad Eyoub, 
Ahmed Shukri, A. F. Hamdi, and N. P. Aghnides, were 
notified by cablegram in August, 1914, that the Ottoman 
Government could make no more remittances to them, and 
that they could use their August allowance for return fare. 
Thereupon they jointly, as they phrased it, "exposed their 
difficulties" to Mr. Dutton as follows : 

"This means that unless we can find some help to tide 
us over the present crisis, we shall be obliged to cut our 
studies at a point where one of us is already through and 
the others almost through, the time required being one 
academic year in three cases and two in the fourth. 

"Remembering that it is to you that we are indebted for 
our coming to this country, which has been most useful 
to us and for which we shall ever be grateful, we have taken 
the liberty in our present difficulties to appeal to you. 
Our request is whether you can arrange that we may be 
given financial help during the crisis in Europe, it being 
our firm belief that any funds advanced to us in this way 
will be refunded by our Government at the earliest oppor- 
tunity. This belief of ours is based on the emphatic state- 
ment of our Consul General, Djelal Bey, that the Ottoman 



156 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Government would certainly repay under all circum- 
stances. 

"Our consul, who has taken a keen interest in seeing us 
complete our studies, is only too sorry that he cannot 
advance the funds from the revenues of the consulate, the 
latter having almost ceased as a result of the situation." 

Mr. Dutton carried the question to Rustem Bey, the 
Turkish Ambassador at Washington. The latter tele- 
graphed on September 26th, "The Imperial Ministry of 
Instruction has notified me that the Ottoman students in 
the United States are to stay and continue their studies. 
Their allowances will be sent to them regularly as usual." 
For a few weeks the apprehensions of the young men were 
allayed. Then Rustem Bey returned to Turkey, and the 
remittances ceased. Mr. Dutton consulted Hon. Oscar S. 
Straus, who brought the story to the attention of Presi- 
dent Butler, and the latter promptly arranged through 
the Carnegie Endowment for an adequate provision for 
the students' necessities, "until such time as the Turkish 
Government would be able to transfer funds." After a 
short time, the Turkish Government resumed the payment 
of the allowances, and the young men were relieved from 
an embarrassing situation. 

At the suggestion of Dr. Butler, Mr. Dutton related the 
whole story to Ambassador Morgenthau, "thinking that 
you might like to notify the proper officials that this had 
been done as a hospitable and friendly act, not only in 
appreciation of the good work which these young men 
have done here but of the friendly manner in which the 
Turkish Government has treated our American institu- 
tions in the Empire." 

In the same letter (December 7, 1914) Mr. Dutton 



LAST DAYS 157 

expressed the universal opinion of Mr. Morgenthau's 
valiant service at Constantinople. 

"Permit me to take this opportunity to express a feel- 
ing which I have heard voiced so many times that you are 
handling a difficult situation with consummate good judg- 
ment and ability. In a letter received this morning from 
Dr. Patrick she speaks of the great confidence which they 
have in your efforts to see that our college is well pro- 
tected. As I have been recently elected treasurer, I can- 
not help feeling a good deal of concern and anxiety about 
the whole situation." 

When the time came in September, 1914, for Constan- 
tinople College to open its doors, only a few of the faculty 
were present. Dr. Patrick, who was in Switzerland, 
reached the college after a month of persistent effort. 
Mr. Dutton had as usual selected a company of new pro- 
fessors and instructors in the United States, but did not 
dare to let them go. Only two were finally sent. It was 
equally difficult for students to reach the college, but they 
came drifting in, some on foot and some by wagon trail 
from the interior of the empire, or from Bulgaria and 
Greece. Finally two hundred and twenty-five out of a 
possible three hundred were registered, and then began 
the difficulties of feeding them and keeping them warm. As 
the war went on, the prices of food and all kinds of sup- 
plies mounted higher and higher. Mr. Dutton and Dr. 
Patrick were determined to keep the college open and 
they could always count upon the powerful assistance of 
Mr. Morgenthau, who was now in charge of the interests 
of most of the Allied Powers in Turkey. Through his 
cooperation and through the influence which Dr. Patrick 
had acquired among the Turks, the Government did not 
withdraw its friendly consideration from the College. 



158 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

From time to time the necessary supplies were obtained, 
and Mr. Dutton in New York had to find the money to pay 
the bills — no easy task. More distressing than these eco- 
nomic troubles were the accumulating reports of misery 
and massacre among the peoples of Europe and the Near 
East, and especially among the races of Asiatic Turkey 
with whom the American colleges there were most deeply 
concerned. 

Early in the spring of 1915, Mr. Dutton was asked by 
the Red Cross to accept from it a commission to visit all 
the battlefronts, inspect the work of the Red Cross agen- 
cies, and make report. This invitation, which was due to 
Mr. Dutton's service on the Balkan Commission, he was 
at first inclined to accept, but was finally persuaded to 
decline, through fear that his strength was inadequate for 
the task. 

The stories of sufferings among Armenians and Greeks, 
some of them brought by refugees in person, stirred the 
deepest interest among those especially interested in mis- 
sions and schools in Turkey, such men as Mr. Dutton, Mr. 
Cleveland H. Dodge, chairman of the trustees of Robert 
College, and the responsible officers of the various mission 
boards. To Mr. Dodge, about the middle of September, 
1915, Ambassador Morgenthau cabled an account of the 
Armenian massacres and deportations and urged him to 
form a relief committee to raise money for the preserva- 
tion of the lives of the wretched survivors. 

Mr. Dodge thereupon called together in his office at 
eleven o'clock on the morning of September 16, 1915, a 
little company of men to consider what should be done. 
There were present, beside Mr. Dodge and his partner, 
Mr. Arthur Curtiss James, Dr. James L. Barton of the 
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions ; 



LAST DAYS 159 

Mr. Charles R. Crane, president of the Board of Trustees 
of Contantinople College, and Mr. Button, the treasurer ; 
Rev. Stanley White, representing the Presbyterian Board 
of Foreign Missions ; and Samuel Harper, son of the late 
President Harper of Chicago University, then on his way 
to Russia.^ At this conference was born an organization, 
first known as the American Committee for Armenian Re- 
lief, and, later, as the Near East Relief.^ Of the Commit- 
tee and the Persian War Relief Fund. This combination, 
urer, and Mr. Dutton, secretary. 

The initial object of the committee was to succor the 
starving Armenian refugees. The first plans of organiza- 
tion for obtaining funds and distributing relief were de- 
vised by Mr. Dutton, who immediately saw that the scope 
of its operation must be as wide as the need in the Near 
East. He therefore helped to bring about a merger be- 
tween this committee and two others that had been at work 
for some months, viz. : the Syria-Palestine Relief Commit- 
tee and the Persian War Relief Fund. This combination, 
effected in November, 1915, took the name, "The American 
Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief." 

Great expansion of the usefulness of the Committee fol- 
lowed this move. For a short time the work of collection 
and distribution was performed in Mr. Dutton's offices 
under the direction of himself and Dr. Lynch, but it soon 
outgrew the narrow limits of space and time at their com- 
mand. The affairs of Constantinople College required 

1 Rev. Dr. Christie, whom Mr. Dutton describes as "an interesting 
old missionary who has just come from Tarsus," seems to have been 
in some way associated with the conference, probably as a companion 
of Dr. Barton. 

2 Mr. Dutton was one of the advocates of this later name, after it 
became evident, in 1918, that the relief work should not be confined to 
Armenians and Syrians. The name "Near East Relief" was approved 
shortly before his last illness. The organization was incorporated 
August 6, 1919. 



160 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Mr. Button's attention, and Dr. Lynch's editorial and 
secretarial duties were always insistent and increasing. 
So the relief worlc, which was already receiving generous 
support, was moved into larger quarters at 1 Madison 
Avenue, and gradually a staff of efficient assistants was 
formed. The three officers of the Armenian Relief Com- 
mittee remained at the head of the new organization and 
Mr. Button became chairman of the Executive Committee 
as well as secretary of the American Committee. Mr. W. 
B. Millar became Birector-General of a national campaign 
committee for raising money, and Mr. Charles V. Vickrey 
relieved Mr. Button of great administrative responsibili- 
ties, by becoming the Executive Secretary. 

Mr. Button's letters to the president of the organiza- 
tion, Br. Barton, show that in January, 1916, he was 
planning to create, if possible, auxiliary groups in every 
state, county, and city in the country. He wanted a 
women's committee in every city, and committees of Arme- 
nians in every place where they dwell. The latter scheme 
was started at a meeting of New York City Armenians, 
which he called on January 31. 

Meanwhile he was appealing to the Rockefeller Founda- 
tion through its secretary, Mr. Jerome B. Greene, for 
financial aid, and getting it. At the same time he records 
gratefully and with a note of exultation that a friend has 
just handed to him ten thousand dollars with which to 
meet the expenses of Constantinople College, "so that I 
can feel a little more free in throwing myself into this 
work." On January 20, 1916, he tells Br. Barton that he 
is just sending $25,000 to Persia, $10,000 of it from the 
Rockefeller Foundation and the remainder from other 
sources. Just twelve days later the Foundation voted to 
contribute $30,000 more, and Mr. Button writes : "They 



LAST DAYS 161 

have now given us $95,000, and I suppose that our total 
collections amount to about $300,000." He tells Dr. Bar- 
ton that he will ask the Carnegie Endowment for Inter- 
national Peace for a contribution. "It would seem to me 
that peace funds could not be better used than to save the 
lives of those who are suffering from the war." 

The committee was then just four months old, and had 
already inspired universal confidence and desire to aid. A 
little later it was noted that more than a hundred Amer- 
ican citizens were at work for the committee without 
expense to Relief funds for salaries or administration. 
One man, a returned missionary from Asia Minor, whom 
Mr. Dutton asked to lead in raising a specified sum from 
one of the larger cities of the Middle West, feared that 
the demand was too arbitrary, and he wrote that he did 
not wish to appear as "a beggar or a suppliant." Mr. 
Dutton answered him at length, and the answer shows the 
plane on which the relief campaign was conducted. 

"You will pardon me if I say that I think you make a 
very grave mistake to suggest that a campaign for funds 
to serve the starving and suffering Armenians required 
anyone to be in any sense a beggar or a suppliant. 

"It is humanitarian work of a high order, and, as I take 
it, most urgent and pressing. No one need ever apologize 
for pushing with all one's might to get the ear and the 
considerate attention of people. Those of you who have 
been at the scene of the cruelties practiced upon the 
Armenians are in a position to speak with authority and, 
by reason of your intimate knowledge, are justified in 
bringing all your powers of persuasion, influence, and elo- 
quence to bear in awakening the sympathy and generosity 
of the people. 

"You cannot assume that they are interested until they 
are informed, and until an appeal has been made by those 



162 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

who know the truth. I hope you will not let yourself 

become a servant of the people of , but will rather 

create such an atmosphere that they will be willing to be 
your servants and your co-workers in developing a good 
deed. . . . 

"This attempt to raise large sums of money is a man's 
work and I have sometimes been discouraged myself. I am 
neglecting my other duties in order to help this cause 
along, but I feel that, having put our hands to the plough, 
we must go forward as strongly as possible." 

Mr. Dutton had his trials also in the relief organization 
with those who naturally gravitated towards a Red Tape 
and Circumlocution Office, thought that the time was not 
ripe for an appeal for money, and shrank from taking 
short cuts in administration. 

"You realize," he writes to Dr. Barton, March 15, 1916, 
"how ready I have been to work with everybody in the 
most cordial way. I have had only one desire and that is 
to expedite our cause. If the committee were made up of 

men like , I should certainly not be willing to give 

my time, and work as I have done this year. I could find 
some other way of working better. ... I will of course 

try to utilize any good thing that may do, but you 

remember how frightened the old Sultan was when he 
heard that somewhere out in the West there was a machine 
that made four hundred revolutions a minute. We are 
trying to reach some such ideal as that, and there seems 
to us to be no place for circumlocution and red tape." 

On March 21st he notes that the contributions from the 
Rockefeller Foundation now amount to $150,000, and 
that total receipts are a half million dollars. The Com- 
mittee has its agent in Tiflis and the head of the Relief 
Commission sent to Syria and Armenia has already 
reached Erivan. Large consignments of clothing from 




(Copyrighted by Underwood and Underwood) 



The Near East Relief welcomes Ambassador Morgenthau home. 
Left to right: Mr. Morgenthau, Mr. Button, Mr. Dodge. 



LAST DAYS 163 

the United States have been delivered at Etchraiadzin. 

In May, 1916, he realized that Turks in Syria were 
starving as well as Syrians, and might resent an effort to 
discriminate at relief stations, and he started through the 
State Department an inquiry whether the Turkish Gov- 
ernment would permit the Committee to send a shipload 
of supplies to be distributed in Syria among all the needy 
without regard to race and religion. 

Ambassador Morgenthau had recently returned to 
the United States, and his descriptions of what he had seen 
and known at Constantinople gave great impetus to the 
public interest in the work of the Committee. Mr. Dutton 
was a member of the committee which, headed by Cleve- 
land H. Dodge, went down the harbor to welcome Mr. 
Morgenthau and which accorded to him a series of public 
honors for diplomatic and humane achievements, for his 
aid to the Armenian cause, and especially for his watchful 
care of the three independent American colleges in Tur- 
key, Constantinople College, Robert College, and the 
Syrian Protestant College at Beirut. 

In June, 1916, Mr. Dutton drafted an appeal on be- 
half of the Committee for contributions of a thousand 
dollars a month for ten months, which was sent out over 
Mr. Morgenthau's signature. At the same time he was 
deeply engaged with the problem of rescuing fifty Arme- 
nian girls who were in Marsovan and transporting them 
to the United States. 

Although Mr. Dutton's aid in 1914 had been so indis- 
pensable to the Turkish students, they seemed during the 
next two years to be, by the entrance of Turkey into the 
war as a German ally, alienated from Mr. Dutton as well 
as from nearly all the rest of the community round about 
them. Their sympathies were naturally with their own 



164. SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

countrymen. When Mr. Dutton became a leader in the 
nation-wide movement for succoring Armenians and Syr- 
ians, some of these young men were disposed to hold aloof 
from him and perhaps to resent the whole movement. In 
1916, although their work was completed they could not 
hope to go home, and in the next year the participation of 
the United States in the war made their isolation still more 
unpleasant and subjected at least some of them to unwel- 
come and apparently unnecessary attentions from the 
sleuths in the secret service. 

Mr. Dutton kept in touch with them as well as he could, 
and awaited the right opportunity to unravel the tangle. 
Finally it came, when he was able to get them all together 
around a dinner table, and expound to them his ideas of 
a just peace for the races in the Ottoman empire. He told 
them that he would have worked as willingly to rescue a 
Turkish minority from massacre and from death by star- 
vation and disease. He showed them the ideals represented 
by Robert College and Constantinople College, which 
offered equal advantages to members of all races, and told 
them that he expected them to go home and work for the 
establishment of a regime of justice and good will among 
all the inhabitants of their native land. 

They responded with conviction to his appeal, and 
avowed their readiness to do their utmost to bring the 
vision into being. In passing, it may be noted that in the 
fall of 1917, Mr. Dutton tells Dr. Barton that Emin Bey, 
the first Turkish Ph.D. from Columbia, has become editor 
of the Tanin, the leading newspaper in Constantinople: 
"I hear that he stands up for America to such an extent 
that the Government has tried at times to censor his 
articles." 

About the time when the success of the Armenian and 



LAST DAYS 165 

Syrian relief work became assured, Mr. Dutton was called 
in as an expert to save another relief movement from 
wreck. In the year 1915, through the efforts of Madame 
Grouitch, whom Mr. Dutton had met in Belgrad in 1913, 
a meeting of citizens was called in New York City at the 
Hotel Stratford, and a Serbian Relief Committee was 
organized. Miss Helen Losanitch, a Serbian lady who 
came here under the auspices of Mme. Grouitch, was the 
chief agent of the committee in soliciting funds. She met 
with very considerable success, but an utter lack of agree- 
ment among those in charge of the central office at 70 
Fifth Avenue, caused paralysis — and worse — in the coun- 
cils of the organization. Perhaps it was the fact that the 
Serbian Relief office was next door to Mr. Dutton's office 
that brought about a consultation with him. At any 
rate, he was induced to undertake the temporary direc- 
tion of the Serbian Relief movement also, and this service 
he performed in addition to all his other duties. He 
eliminated the disputes and the disputants, put the office 
staff upon a working basis, showed them how to deserve 
and retain confidence, and enabled them to attain a meas- 
ure of success. 

Mr. Dutton was also one of eleven members of the execu- 
tive committee of the Albanian Relief Fund, which was 
housed in the offices of his son-in-law's journal. The Chris- 
tian Work. Of the Committee for the Relief of Greeks in 
Asia Minor he was a member from its foundation and 
acted as a liaison officer between it and the Near East 
Relief. Meanwhile, during the first two years of the 
Great War, the peace societies in which Mr. Dutton was 
a recognized leader had not been inactive, and there also 
he played his part. During the winter of 1914<-15, a 
"Plan of Action Committee," created in the New York 



166 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Peace Society, began a series of conferences, out of which 
was formed in June, 1915, at Independence Hall in Phila- 
delphia, the society known as the League to Enforce 
Peace. 

Mr. Dutton attended some of these conferences, but 
was too much engrossed with his other interests to give 
to the conferences continuous attention. Moreover, he 
had become attached to another movement of somewhat 
similar character, which, however, looked for judicial 
rather than political means of world-reconstruction. In 
November, 1913, he had accepted an election as director 
of the International Peace Forum, an organization of 
several years' standing, which published a magazine of 
discussion. Mr. Dutton was one of a group of officers 
of the Forum, including Henry Clews, Emerson McMil- 
lin, F. A. Seiberling of Akron, Ohio; Charles Lathrop 
Pack of Lakewood, N. J. ; Judge D. D. Woodmansee of 
Cincinnati, John Hays Hammond, President, and Dr. 
John Wesley Hill, Secretary, who were convinced that 
at the close of the war a true court of international 
justice must be established as the best single means of 
preventing future warfare. They therefore called and 
held a largely attended convention at Cleveland, May 
12-14, 1916, at which was organized the World Court 
League.^ The name of the magazine was changed to The 
World Court. The new society was incorporated in New 
York, December 28, 1915, the application being signed, 
in the following order, by Henry Clews, Samuel T. Dut- 
ton, Joseph Silverman, John Wesley Hill, and James G. 
Beemer. Mr. Dutton became chairman of the Publica- 

1 Through the error of a clerk the name appeared in the act of 
incorporation as "World's Court League." It did not seem worth 
while to change it, but the apostrophe and letter s were not really 
wanted. 



LAST DAYS 167 

tion Committee and a member of the Board of Governors. 

When Yale, '73, met in New York for a winter reunion 
February 21, 1916, Dutton's conservative opinions on 
the subject of preparedness were wittily recognized by 
toastmaster Goddard in his opening speech of humorous 
compliment: "It is a class of national distinction. Over 
there is Sam Dutton crying, *Peace! Peace!' and over 
here is General Macomb, crying, *Johnny, get your gun!* 
Between them they lead the nation." 

A second convention of the World Court League, held 
in New York in the spring of 1916, drew crowds to hear 
many distinguished speakers in advocacy of the world 
court idea, among whom was Senator Warren G. Hard- 
ing. Subsequently, Dr. Hill relinquished the secretary- 
ship, and in September, 1916, Mr. Dutton became his 
successor. After this date, Mr. Dutton's time and 
strength were divided among three lines of effort: Relief 
work, Constantinople College, and the World Court 
League. 

He became a member also of the League to Enforce 
Peace, because he liked to have a place in any company 
that seemed to be marching in the same direction as his 
own. He was, however, never satisfied with the connota- 
tions of the name of that organization, nor with the im- 
plied emphasis upon policies of coercion. To him a peace 
that was enforced seemed too likely to be no peace at all, 
and to suggest perilous possibilities of world domination 
by military power. Writing to Dr. Barton on Decem- 
ber 28, 1916, about the World Court League, he said: 

"I want to suggest to you that there is very little 
probability that the United States will enter upon a plan 
of enforcing peace. I can hardly see how clergymen or 
missionaries can view such an arrangement with com- 



168 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

posure. It would be an excuse in every country for the 
increase of armies, whereas we should be quick to recog- 
nize the intimation that Germany would be willing to 
enter upon a plan of disarmament. I am just about to 
arrange a plan to reach a good many of the prominent 
clergymen, for I feel that they should be on the side of 
moral force." 

During the fall of 1916 Mr. Dutton elaborated and 
initiated plans for the development of the World Court 
League. The principal medium of its propaganda was 
to be the magazine, The World Court, which was en- 
larged and strengthened. Thus direct competition with 
the League to Enforce Peace was avoided, since this was 
the one form of propaganda which that League did not 
employ. 

Mr. Dutton placed in charge of the magazine as edi- 
tor-in-chief, Mr. Frank Chapin Bray, an experienced 
journalist, who had been connected with The Chautau- 
quan and with Current Opinion. A strong staff of 
associate editors was created. Under this new manage- 
ment from December, 1916, the magazine became a 
powerful battery of debate upon the announced purpose 
of the League, namely, "The creation of such interna- 
tional legislative, judicial, arbitral, and administrative 
institutions as are needed by a league of nations for the 
maintenance of justice." 

The World Court was widely circulated among teachers 
in both school and college. Mr. Dutton turned all the re- 
sources of the League to its support. Also, in conjunc- 
tion with Dr. Charles H. Levermore, whom he added to 
the staff of the League as its corresponding secretary, Mr. 
Dutton perfected an International Council of eminent 
publicists, headed by President Nicholas Murray Butler, 



LAST DAYS 169 

and an equally distinguished National Advisory Board, 
headed by Dr. Albert Shaw, to give weight to the utter- 
ances of the World Court League and to support its pro- 
gram. That program or platform, always setting forth 
the judicial settlement of international disputes as its cor- 
ner stone, was several times revised, and its final form, 
here given, may be accepted as embodying Mr. Dutton's 
view of reconstruction, devised to base peace upon justice: 

THE WORLD COURT LEAGUE 

Favors a League Among Nations to Secure 

1. An International Court of Justice established by a 
World Conference and sustained by public opinion 

2. An International Council of Conciliation 

3. A World Conference meeting regularly, to support 
the Court and Council, and to interpret and expand Inter- 
national Law 

4. A Permanent Continuation Committee of the World 
Conference 



PLATFORM 



We believe it to be desirable that a League among Na- 
tions should be organized for the following purposes : 

1. A World Court, in general similar to the Court of 
Arbitral Justice already agreed upon at the Second 
Hague Conference, should be, as soon as possible, estab- 
lished as an International Court of Justice, representing 
the nations of the world and, subject to the limitations 
of treaties, empowered to assume jurisdiction over inter- 
national questions in dispute that are justiciable in char- 
acter and that are not settled by negotiation. 

2. All other international controversies not settled by 
negotiation should be referred to the Permanent Court of 
Arbitration at The Hague or submitted to an Interna- 



170 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

tional Council of Conciliation or Commissions of Inquiry 
for hearing, consideration and recommendation. 

3. Soon after peace is declared there should be held 
either "a conference of all great Governments," as de- 
scribed in the United States Naval Appropriation Act of 
1916, or a similar assembly, formally designated as the 
Third Hague Conference, and the sessions of such Inter- 
national Conferences should become permanently periodic, 
at shorter intervals than formerly. 

Such conference or conferences should 

(a) formulate and adopt plans for the establishment 
of a World Court and an International Council of Con- 
ciliation, and 

(b) from time to time formulate and codify rules of 
international law to govern in the decisions of the World 
Court in all cases, except those involving any constituent 
State which has within the fixed period signified its 
dissent. 

4. In connection with the establishment of automati- 
cally periodic sessions of an International Conference, the 
constituent Governments should establish a Permanent 
Continuation Committee of the Conference, with such ad- 
ministrative powers as may be delegated to it by the 
conference. 

Early in 1917, when Germany renewed its ruthless sub- 
marine warfare, Mr. Dutton promptly concluded that the 
entrance of the United States into the war had become 
inevitable. He was quite ready to give heartiest support 
to the policy then adopted by our Government. 

Writing on March 6th to Professor James F. Colby, 
he said : "I have never been in favor of universal military 
training, but I am inclined to think we will have to go that 
far. I am also convinced that we must make very sub- 
stantial preparation for national defense." 

A little later, April 3rd, in congratulating his nephew, 



LAST DAYS 171 

who was doing his part in the national defense, Mr. 
Button observed : "As you know, I have been a worker for 
peace, but, under these circumstances, I am strongly in 
favor of war. I think it would be the shortest route to 
permanent peace if German militarism can be crushed." 
No wonder that the nephew in reply wished that all the 
pacifists in the country were like his Uncle Sam ! 

In the summer and fall of 1917 Mr. Button was chiefly 
busied with the financial problems of the World Court 
League, of the Relief work, and of Constantinople College. 
In October he had the good fortune to awaken the interest 
of Mr. William Bingham, 2nd, in the last two objects, 
and especially in his project for the establishment of a 
medical department at the College. In this achievement 
which, as we shall see, did not come to full fruition until 
after Mr. Button's death, he rendered to the College a 
service of inestimable value and began the fulfillment of 
some of his most cherished hopes for its development. 

Buring the same months Mr. Button sat as a member 
of the study group led by Hon. Theodore Marburg, which 
worked out a tentative scheme for an association of 
nations. The results of their deliberations were published 
in two small volumes prepared by Mr. Marburg. Mr. 
Button's correspondence shows that he was looking for- 
ward to international disarmament as the first goal of 
eff'ort. 

In the fall of 1917, Mr. Button was also actively at 
work with Br. Barton and other leaders of mission boards 
to prevent a declaration of war by the United States 
against Turkey. To his mind such an action would have 
wrecked our influence as well as our possessions in Turkey, 
without any counterbalancing advantage of any kind ex- 
cepting possibly in the gratification of a sentiment. So 



172 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

far as soldiers and sailors were concerned, Turkey was 
out of reach. He was already sure that the Turkish 
empire would be in fragments at the end of the war, and 
he was far less interested in pulverizing the fragments 
than in thinking how they should be built up again. He 
told Dr. Barton in September, 1917, that his ambition 
was to serve on a committee of rehabilitation for Turkey, 
"if there is to be one. The more I study the whole matter, 
the more clearly I see that the political, social, and educa- 
tional reconstruction of Turkey and other suffering coun- 
tries constitute one and the same thing." 

This subject engrossed his attention increasingly during 
the ensuing fall and winter. He was actively engaged with 
others, especially Professor W. H. Schofield, in preparing 
a program for an educational system in old Turkish terri- 
tories with special reference to vocational instruction. 
The draft which was sent to Washington and submitted 
to President Wilson's inspection was mainly Mr. Dutton's 
work. 

This memorandum embodied his best thought upon the 
essential conditions for a revival of civilization in Asia 
Minor. Its title is "Outline of a Scheme for Education in 
Turkey, especially with reference to social, economic and 
vocational needs." The introduction is a clear statement 
of the complex religious, political, social, and racial con- 
ditions that must affect any plan of rehabilitation, and 
especially an educational plan. In the second place Mr. 
Dutton reviews separately the school systems existing in 
Turkey before the Great War, classifying them in three 
groups, as, first, Turkish Government schools, with an 
excellent system on paper and very little to show in 
reality; second, subject-national schools of the Ar- 
menians, Greeks, Jews, and Syrians, all church schools 



LAST DAYS 173 

and centers of national feeling ; third, missionary schools : 
British, 178 schools, with 12,800 students; French Cath- 
olic, 500 schools, 59,414! students; American, 675 schools, 
34,317 students ; other European (German, Danish, Rus- 
sian, Italian), 38 schools, 3,500 students. Thirdly, he 
considers the ruinous effects of the war upon all these 
institutions. Finally, he answers the questions, "What 
can and should be done in the form of elementary and 
professional education under a new regime?" and "What 
foundations for the work will survive the war?" 

The answer is set forth under the following heads: 
Education for the Home (domestic training and house- 
hold arts) ; Industrial education, including agriculture, 
forestry, stock-raising, and some departments of horti- 
culture; Medical Practice and Nursing; Civil, Mechan- 
ical, and Mining Engineering, including road-building, 
irrigation, and sanitation ; Training of Teachers ; Legis- 
lation, Taxation, and Administration necessary to make 
a wisely ordered beginning of this renaissance. 

This report, so carefully wrought, and many other 
papers upon related topics reveal in Mr. Dutton's thought 
an absorbing interest in this revival of a buried civiliza- 
tion. So engrossed had he become that he could not 
accept even the possibility that his country might reject 
an invitation to take the lead in rebuilding these waste 
places. 

On New Year's day, 1918, he was asked by Col. E. M. 
House to prepare a statement showing how a new Armenia 
could be organized under a protectorate. This statement, 
which was for the President's use, set forth concisely the 
facts concerning the geographical situation of the 
Armenian people, including a comparative review of their 
relations with Turkish and Kurdish neighbors. The his- 



174 SMIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

tory of Armenian deportations and massacres was re- 
viewed, and the basal lines of the Turkish system of 
misgovernment were traced. The form of protectorate 
recommended included: A Governor General, a citizen 
of the nation assuming the protectorate, appointed for a 
term of ten years; a Supreme Court, to pass upon all 
appeals of civil, criminal, or ecclesiastical authorities; a 
Legislative Assembly, in which are representatives of all 
faiths ; a Constabulary, officered by nationals of the pro- 
tecting power, but enlisting all races in its ranks. 

The statement closed with an argument to show why the 
United States should assume this protectorate. 

"1. The United States can do this without prejudice. 
No other nation can accuse it of selfish motives. 

"2. It has shown its competency in Cuba and the 
Philippines. 

"3. Great Britain will undoubtedly favor the selection 
of the United States. 

"4. Turks and Armenians will prefer the United States 
to any other Power. 

"5. The United States has already spent millions for 
education in Turkey, and has provided more than seven 
million dollars, the voluntary gift of the American people, 
for the relief of the victims of the recent massacres. 

"6. The United States is better able than any other 
nation to subsidize in a proper way the great work of 
rehabilitation and education which will be essential. A 
vast program of economic and social reconstruction is 
imperative and many millions of dollars will be needed 
for that program. 

"Fortunately there are social, religious, and educational 
institutions, founded and supported by Americans, all 
ready to lend their service in making a new government 
effective. Practical education for both men and women 
will be sorely needed, and steps are already being taken 



LAST DAYS 175 

in private circles to reconstruct the educational programs 
of colleges and schools. With outside aid vigorously ap- 
plied, it would not be long before the communities them- 
selves could bear the large share of the burden." 

With this statement Mr. Button submitted two maps, 
one showing the Greater Armenia of the Armenians' 
dream, and the other, the six vilayets in which the 
Armenians are most numerous.^ 

Here was the formal inception of the plan to make 
the United States the guardian of Armenia, the plan 
which failed when the Senate in 1920 decisively rejected 
President Wilson's recommendation to that effect. It is 
clear, however, that, in 1918, it was widely supposed that 
the Allied leaders meant what they said about the com- 
plete removal of Turkish misrule. Mr. Button believed 
that the most essential feature of the plan for a pro- 
tectorate was the creation of a native constabulary force, 
to which all the locally resident races would be eligible. 
This solution of the question how to preserve order seemed 
to him more vital than the determination whether a single 
nation or a representative commission should undertake 
the central administration. 

In the fall of 1918 there was greater insistence that the 
United States should declare war on Turkey, and on Bul- 
garia also, than there had been a year earlier. Voices 
were raised in other lands as well as in our own, question- 
ing our motives in refraining from such action. Br. 
Barton, Mr. Button, and Mr. Cleveland Bodge were in 

1 In a collateral memorandum which was probably not submitted 
to the President, Mr. Button considered more at length the question 
of local government within the new Turkey, mandated or under some 
form of international control. He proposed to make the vilayets 
semi-autonomous units, and to recognize three kinds of local courts, 
Moslem, Christian, and Mixed, the last named for cases between Mos- 
lems and non-Moslems. 



176 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

communication with the State Department and with the 
President to counteract, if possible, the effect of the 
agitation to make all of Germany's allies officially our 
enemies. 

Mr. Button felt confident that the Administration was 
in agreement with his own views. In February, 1918, he 
was assuring various correspondents that they might 
safely assert "that thus far our Government has no idea 
of taking this step" (making war on Turkey and Bul- 
garia). Nevertheless, he goes on to say, a little later, 
"Bulgaria will have to stay in purgatory for a time, be- 
cause of the grave wrongs which she has committed. I am 
a friend of Bulgaria, but that is my firm conviction." 

To the friends of the other Balkan races who had, since 
1913, regarded Bulgaria as the villain in the Balkan 
drama, and who wanted to mould public opinion in the 
United States to their own ends, the beliefs and efforts of 
Mr. Button and his associates were almost inexplicable. 
Mr. Button was singled out from the others because of 
his membership in the Balkan Commission of 1913, and 
to him in January, 1918, the Greek Minister at Wash- 
ington addressed a long letter of remonstrance, endeavor- 
ing to show why, in the Greco-Bulgarian wrangle about 
Macedonia, Greece was right and trustworthy. His in- 
cidental eulogy of the American school system enabled 
Mr. Button, in reply, to point out that education must 
furnish the foundation for permanent peace in the Bal- 
kans and that the men of good will there must unite to lay 
that foundation.^ 

1 Some passages in the Greek minister's letter possess an intrinsic 
interest. It was written witii such an imperfect command of English 
that some changes in the text are necessary in order to make its 
meaning clear. In the first paragraph the Minister says: 

"Ever since I arrived in the United States, I have been struck by 



LAST DAYS 177 

Under date of April 24, 1918, Mr. Button reviewed 
the whole situation in a letter to Senator Wadsworth of 
New York, which deserves quotation. 

"It has fallen to my lot to become deeply interested in 
the affairs of the Near East. As a Trustee and Treasurer 
of Constantinople College for Women, I have acted as a 
sort of American representative, and since the war began 
have had to deal with many problems affecting the Faculty 
and the continuance of the work under adverse conditions. 
I am also Chairman of the Executive Committee of the 
American Committee of the Armenian and Syrian Relief, 
so I am very familiar with all the efforts being made to 
an opinion existing in certain American circles. I mean to say: 

1. Tiiat they were still believing that my country — Greece — had 
acted as an unfaithful ally, 

2. That she reaped the benefits of a hardly straight policy, 

3. That she had consequently deprived her former ally — Bulgaria 
— of territories which, by their ethnological constitution, belonged to 
it, and this to the prejudice of not only justice but even of civiliza- 
tion, 

4. And finally that Greece was a very mediocre agent where civili- 
zation was concerned." 

He pays a tribute to Mr. Button's personality and influence, and 
expresses the hope that he may convince Mr. Button by showing him 
the facts. He then reviews the story of the second Balkan war and 
discusses the whole Macedonian problem. This covers items 1, 2 and 
8 in the foregoing list. Then he takes up the fourth specification: 

"I have come to the last point of the criticism brought against us, 
I am sorry to say, in a somewhat light manner that Greece would be 
but a mediocre agent of civilization. This judgment, due to facts 
examined with a total lack of psychology, is thoroughly injust. 

"The Greek is solidly attached to the Orthodox religion. He tol- 
erates the service of other confessions that he respects, but he is 
indignant when he thinks that his convictions are at stake. 

"Upon close examination, one will find that he is not a Christian, 
according to the real meaning of the word. He is somewhat of a 
heathen. Although respecting the dogmas of his faith, he is strongly 
attached to the external forms of the cult. He is very much like the 
Italian in this respect. 

"He is attached to this whimsical whole, because, according to his 
mentality, the religious spirit is confounded with the patriotic one. 
He has been accustomed, during the long centuries of Turkish yoke, 
to consider the priest as the guardian of his national traditions, the 
hope of his race to be redeemed. The gospel is not to him only the 
book of his faith, but almost the source of his patriotic faith, which 



178 S^y^lUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

save the Armenian, Syrian, and Greek sufferers from the 
effects of the deportations and the cruel treatment they 
have received at the hands of the Turks. 

"I have noticed that recent attempts have been made 
by several of your colleagues in the Senate to pass a 
resolution favoring the declaration of war against Turkey 
and Bulgaria. In order that you may not misunderstand 
my position, let me say that in spite of all the American 
interests involved and the humanitarian reasons for using 
restraint, if it could be clearly seen that by making an 
absolute break with either or both of those countries, a 
hard blow could be struck for the Allied Cause, I should 
not feel like offering objections. I cannot see, however, 
that in the case of either country anything could be 

has continually given him the strength which has supported him to go 
through the national vicissitudes during two thousand years. 

"This confusion of the two ideas has made him intolerant, par- 
ticularly when he thinks that one is ready to infringe upon them. 
Although ready to accept any beautiful idea or to adapt himself to 
civilization, he gives at first the impression of being fanatic, when 
they are presented under a religious aspect. 

"I must admit that several unhappy attempts, which bore the 
aspect of an attempt to proselytism, have made him suspicious of 
every idea coming from the outside in an unskillful manner. This is 
so true that, among the more resistant, we find the most notorious 
freethinkers. I insist upon the fact that the Greek always looks 
upon those who try to alter his religious convictions as attempting to 
change the national spirit, to which he is attached very strongly. 

"I have tried to analyze our soul so as to make you realize that 
what I am endeavoring to obtain from the American people is not 
inconsistent. 

"Since I have been in your wonderful country, I have studied the 
methodical and practical spirit which has presided over the organiza- 
tion of your schools. I mean the system of superincumbent schools, 
independent and stiU completing each other, widening progressively 
the cycle of studies and deepening knowledge. This form of educa- 
tion, creating undoubtedly practical men and shaping characters, has 
struck me. I wish we could have it introduced into our country by 
those who have created it. The print that such a school would give, 
would have a great influence and would bring a swifter transforma- 
tion than the conservative idea still dominant in Europe, which is a 
great handicap. 

"I would like to have this school system under a thorough Amer- 
ican personnel. You must not indeed forget that our race has been 



LAST DAYS 179 

gained, and I fear that, looking at the question from a 
strategic point of view, considerable might be lost. 

"In the first place, America has made a very large in- 
vestment in Turkey in the way of educational and mis- 
sionary work, covering more than a hundred years. 
America's moral influence is strong, as shown by the fact 
that our three independent colleges, two on the Bosphorus 
and one in Beirut, are in full operation and the Turkish 
officials are friendly to the extent of assisting the officers 
of these colleges in securing needed supplies. Should we 
declare war on Turkey, I fear that Germany would be 
delighted, for there is nothing she desires so much as to 

under foreign rule during twenty centuries, a short intermission of a 
few centuries of Byzantine Empire excepted. 

"Servitude, as you know, creates many faults and warps a nation's 
character. We bear still the print of it, our country not having yet 
a century's life of freedom, and, despite the considerable progress 
made, we still need a much greater amount to attain the level we are 
looking forward to. 

"We rely very much upon you to help us, and, excuse ray frankness, 
you owe it to us. If you have indeed reached the moral and intel- 
lectual level of which quite justly you feel so proud, you owe it in a 
large measure to the genius of our ancestors whom you so lavishly 
quote in your magnificent schools. 

"We dream to revive, imder the very shadow of our Parthenon, old 
Athens. The same people are living there, frivolous and sound at the 
same time, jolly and considerate, and, with an additional trait due to 
the long servitude and ordeal, more consistent. It is quite impossible 
that we should fail with such an element. 

"I am confident that you shall be willing to help us. 

"Your noble country, by entering this war, wanted to assure to 
the world the rule of justice and, by it, happiness and prosperity. 
The freedom of our brothers still living under a foreign yoke wUl 
without doubt be secured. Then Greece will be able to look after 
herself, when she will not be hindered any more by the constant pre- 
occupation of her brothers. 

"You cannot decline to lend us the precious concurrence of your 
lights, you who live so intensely amidst the world of Hellenic thought. 

"I must apologize for the length of this letter. I wanted to justify 
my country, which deserves much more than the reputation slie has, 
built without doubt by her enemies, or by others without intention, 
but after a very superficial examination. 

"I would consider myself very happy if, by being Importunate, I 
would succeed in interesting you in everything concerning Greece and 
in making of you a good friend of my country." 



180 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

have us sacrifice our moral hold on that country. Im- 
mediately all our institutions, including the colleges and 
upward of four hundred schools would be taken over, and 
would, I fear, soon pass into German hands in such a way 
that it would be difficult for America ever to regain her 
lost position. Many millions of property would also be 
seized. 

"A second consideration, one of tremendous importance, 
is the fact that the American Committee for Armenian 
and Syrian Relief, the mission boards, and other agencies 
have raised and distributed a good many millions of dollars 
(our Committee alone having raised $10,000,000) and 
have saved from starvation in Turkey, the Russian 
Caucasus, and Persia, many thousands of Armenians, 
Syrians, Greeks, and others. Should we declare war on 
Turkey, the Americans now engaged in distributing relief 
throughout the Empire and who are acting as a restrain- 
ing influence in protecting many thousands of women and 
children, would have to leave the country or be interned, 
and I fear the original purpose of the Turks, which has 
been encouraged and abetted by the Imperial German 
Government, will be carried out — to destroy utterly the 
Christian peoples in the Empire. It seems to me that 
this fact alone should cause our Government to hesitate. 
I feel sure that the President is rather well informed and 
appreciates the reasons for going slowly. 

"A third reason is seen in the great, beneficent oppor- 
tunity which America will have in helping to reconstruct 
these suffering peoples after the war, when it is assumed 
that Germany will have been defeated and that the Allies 
will permit no part of the Ottoman Empire to continue 
under Turkish rule without some kind of international 
oversight. The great problem of preventing future wars 
is centered in the Near East, and the United States, 
having pledged her vast resources for the prosecution of 
war, will, I am sure, be ready to see the thing through 



LAST DAYS 181 

and give protection to those Christian peoples who have 
been oppressed and cruelly treated for many centuries. 

"I am sure you will pardon my speaking at length upon 
a subject in which are wrapped up so many possibilities 
of good and evil for mankind. Let me say that it is no 
sentimental objection which I wish to raise, but rather 
one based upon the most practical and serious issues. 
The war must be won. Neither lives nor property can 
stand in the way, but I hope that, in this case, the argu- 
ments for delay may seem convincing. 

"I will not take your time to speak at length about 
Bulgaria. It would take a volume to tell of her foolish 
mistakes and vagaries, but I am satisfied that she has not 
sent soldiers to the AVestern Front. If she were to do so, 
I suppose we would have to declare war upon her. I have 
some inside knowledge which leads me to believe that some 
at least of her men in high positions hate Germany as 
much or even more than we do. 

"It is generally conceded that the Allies have made 
several serious mistakes since the war began. I fear that 
to play into the hands of Germany in the way proposed 
would add one more to the list." 

Lest there be any doubt of Mr. Button's entire thought, 
it is well to add here a few sentences that he wrote in 
March of this year to his friend, President Brooks of 
Baylor University: 

"I agree with you that our first business is to conquer 
the Germans. I dislike the word, 'conquer,' but there is 
no other word that meets the case. There can be no half- 
way measures. Civilization is struggling for its existence 
and, in wishing to see the war pushed forward, I believe 
I am not breaking with any of the ideals which you and I 
have held in the past." 

In April of this year, 1918, Mr. Button was once more 
called upon to aid one of the Turkish students. They 



182 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

had finished their education and, being unable to return 
home, had found employment. One of them, Ahmed 
Shukri, obtained editorial work in a magazine office. In 
the autumn of 1917, he incurred in some way the sus- 
picions of secret service men, to whose rough treatment 
of him he attributed the severe cold which finally de- 
veloped into tuberculosis. 

Writing to Mr. Dutton, Shukri said : 

"It is now past history, but I want to emphasize at 
every opportunity that in all these years if there is only 
one man in the United States who has done nothing, who 
never thought of doing anything, that is incompatible 
with his status, it is I. It never occurred to my mind to 
take undue advantage of the hospitality of this country; 
and no one wonders at this when one considers how much 
we are indebted to this country, intellectually and morally. 

"I say these things with one foot in the grave, for that 
is how I consider myself, and not with any hope of going 
back, because I am now unable to stand the trip. I want 
the Govermnent to know that their detectives are not 
infallible, and that they erred, at least in ray case, with 
tragic results." 

His request was that Mr. Dutton should try to place 
the facts before the Turkish Government, and arrange 
for a regular allowance during the period of his illness. 
Meanwhile Mr. Shukri and his wife took refuge at Saranac 
Lake. 

Mr. Dutton promptly tried to reach the Turkish Gov- 
ernment through our State Department, but without suc- 
cess. He was able to do so by the aid of the Spanish 
Minister at Washington. Mr. Dutton offered to supply 
Mr. Shukri's temporary pecuniary need, and wrote to 
him, "You have had a hard time and, I have no doubt, 



LAST DAYS 183 

have tried to do just the right thing. As far as possible 
I wish to stand by you." 

Mr. Shukri eventually recovered his health, and after 
the close of the war returned to his Levantine home. His 
three associates are still in the United States. 

During the year 1918, the Armenian and Syrian Relief 
work attained an unprecedented magnitude. Mr. Dutton 
had obtained in the winter of 1915-17 the consent of the 
Rockefeller Foundation to make a liberal monthly con- 
tribution. The Red Cross War Council in 1918 demon- 
strated its confidence in the Committee and its leaders by 
giving to it a monthly subvention of $300,000. Up to 
May 31, 1918, the Committee had collected and expended 
about ten and a half million dollars. It was then receiving 
contributions at the rate of three quarters of a million 
dollars per month, and its agencies for the distribution of 
relief covered the regions from Egypt to the Caucasus. 
The fall season of 1918 opened with a remarkable con- 
ference in New York in September, under the auspices of 
the Committee, attended by a throng of relief agents and 
missionaries. 

Mr. Dutton, as chairman of the executive committee, 
presided at more than half the sessions of the conference, 
which closed with an impressive memorial service in honor 
of twenty-two missionaries who had given their lives in 
the Relief work. He was greatly moved by the testimonies 
presented, and by the vision of the opportunity for service 
which awaited the organization created by himself and his 
associates. In this spirit of devotion to suffering 
humanity, he penned this paragraph in a letter to his 
wife : "Now we begin a new year of work, and I hope and 
pray that we may be unselfish and willing to give all we 
have of strength and ability to the great cause for which 



184 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

the whole world is fighting. I am anxious to live better 
and work more faithfully than ever before. We will get 
our reward from day to day in feeling that we are doing 
our part." 

Shortly after the conference there was a Sunday evening 
concert in the Hippodrome for the benefit of the Relief 
fund. Many distinguished singers gave their services. 
The house was packed to the roof. Some of the leaders 
of the movement were called upon to speak during the 
intermission, and Mr. Dutton, with the experiences of 
the conference still warm in his memory, made a brief 
extemporaneous address upon the war-issues, the war- 
chaos, and the hope of the world for reconstruction after 
the war, which was exactly suited to the occasion and the 
audience. 

During the fall of 1918, Mr. Dutton was eager to secure 
some kind of effective cooperation among the friends of 
an international association for the winning of the peace 
after hostilities should end. He made several attempts 
to federate the League to Enforce Peace and his own 
World Court League, so that the former's propaganda by 
public meetings and coincident publicity and the latter's 
propaganda by magazine might be directed from a com- 
mon center in accordance with a common plan. The 
stumbling block against united action was the emphasis 
placed by the former League upon the idea of coercing 
an aggressive state by the physical force of other states. 
The leaders of the League to Enforce Peace were appar- 
ently indifferent to the possibility of united action except 
within their own membership, and upon every inch of 
their own platform. This subject was much discussed in 
Mr. Dutton's correspondence with the members of the 
International Council of the World Court League. Mr. 



LAST DAYS 185 

H. N. Brailsford, Mr. Dutton's former colleague on the 
Balkan Commission, expressed to him in September, 1918, 
what was very nearly Mr. Dutton's own conviction. 

He said : "I am glad that we agree, on the whole, about 
the League of Nations. I dislike the tone of much that 
is written by Mr. Taft's colleagues as to the 'Force' side 
of the League. In my view everything depends, in the 
end, not on any legal treaties, and still less upon arrange- 
ments for coercion, but rather upon the spirit of coopera- 
tion among peoples. The way to encourage that most 
effectively is, I believe, to develop the economic side of the 
League. If a world federation had in its hands the 
rationing of raw material and the control of shipping, 
it would wield a very great power bloodlessly, and would 
also teach people to look to it as the source of great 
benefits." 

Mr. Dutton's efforts toward unifying propaganda for 
the League of Nations idea touched high-water mark 
probably on December 19, 1918, when he presided at a 
meeting of fifty gentlemen, representing practically all 
the peace and reconstruction societies in New York. They 
united in sending to the President this telegram, which 
Mr. Dutton wrote : 

"Fifty Americans from several states, representing all 
organizations interested in a League of Nations, wish 
you entire and effective success in your purpose to form 
such a League as will ensure justice between nations and 
enduring peace among men. (Signed) W. H. Schofield, 
Maurice Francis Egan, Everett P. Wheeler, Charles Lath- 
rop Pack, Albert Shaw, Simeon E. Baldwin, Frank C. 
Bray, Theodoi'e Marburg, Henry Morgenthau, W. B. 
Millar, Harold A. Hatch, Henry Goddard Leach, John 
Wesley Hill, Charles H. Levermore, Norman Hapgood, 
Emerson McMillin, S. P. Duggan, James E. Russell, 



186 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Henry S. Haskell, Frank L. Babbott, C. V. Vickrey, 
George Hugh Smyth, Robert Underwood Johnson, Fred- 
erick E. Farnsworth, Albert A. Snowden, Frederick 
Lynch, Henry N. MacCracken, John Bates Clark, Joseph 
Silverman, George W. Kirchwey, Paul Monroe, James G. 
Beemer, James L. Barton, Talcott Williams, A. S. Fris- 
sell, Charles F. Aked, Edwin R. Embree, Robert E. Ely, 
Roger H. Williams, George A. Plimpton, Paul U. Kellogg, 
Wm. B. Guthrie, and Samuel T. Button." 

In January, 1919, the idea of this telegram was the 
basis of a movement in the New York Peace Society and 
the World Court League to form a joint committee of 
publication for the support and direction of The World 
Courty the monthly magazine of the League. This was 
done with Mr. Button's hearty approval. The joint com- 
mittee was organized and incorporated as a separate so- 
ciety under the name, "League of Nations Union." The 
name of the publication was changed to League of Nations 
Magazine. The World Court League was by vote of its 
Board of Governors entirely merged in this new society, 
although the New York Peace Society retained its inde- 
pendence. But these transactions were completed in 
March, when Mr. Button was within the shadows of his 
last illness. The leaders in the new organization sent to 
him on March 11 an expression of their cordial apprecia- 
tion of his services to the World Court League and of 
their sympathy for him in his prostration. He was, how- 
ever, unable to lend any aid to the new movement beyond 
the following message of assent and benediction sent from 
his sick-chamber on February 24th. 

"The fruits of the victory in this war can be harvested 
only through some such beneficent plan as the League of 
Nations. 



LAST DAYS 187 

"Humanity cries out for help and defense against the 
horrors of another war. 

"The cause is so great that organizations to promote 
international cooperation should unite, sinking any minor 
differences. They should stand together for a new friend- 
ship which will help the weak, restrain the uncivilized, and 
aid the new democracies to be secure and sound. 

"I am glad to be included among the makers and sup- 
porters of the League of Nations Union." 

This was probably Mr. Dutton's last utterance for 
publication. It should be noted that neither Mr. Button 
nor the f ramers of the Union were then aware of the terms 
of the covenant under discussion at Paris. They looked 
forward to supporting such an international agreement 
as had always been advocated by the World Court League 
and the New York Peace Society, "to ensure justice be- 
tween nations and enduring peace among men." With 
this end in view, they believed that the spirit and machin- 
ery of an international league had become indispensable 
for the processes of world-reconstruction. 

After the Relief conference in September, 1918, Mr. 
Dutton's mind turned with more and more confidence to 
ultimate educational solutions in the Near East, and more 
clearly pictured his beloved Constantinople College as an 
active agent in relief and reconstruction. The Near East 
Committee announced a "drive" for thirty million dollars 
in the week, January 12-19, 1919, and President Wilson 
issued, November 29, 1918, a proclamation in support 
of that effort. Mr. Dutton believed that the time had 
also come to realize the dreams of increased service at the 
college, particularly the dreams of a school of education 
and a school of medicine, which he had cherished so long. 

Early in the fall he secured from the trustees of the 



188 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

college the appointment of a committee on medical educa- 
tion. The interest of his friend Mr. Bingham was already 
assured. Mr. Button was also fortunate in gaining the 
attention of some of the officers of the Rockefeller Founda- 
tion. In October he was able to announce that the 
Foundation had invited the Committee on medical educa- 
tion to meet the officers of the Foundation "and go over 
the whole matter." 

The following brief, prepared for submission to the 
Foundation, sets forth the situation precisely as Mr. 
Button then viewed it : 

"November 5, 1918. 

"To the President and Board of Trustees of the Rocke- 
feller Foundation. 
"Gentlemen : 

"Seven years ago the founder of the trust which you 
administer contributed $150,000 for the installation of 
a heating and lighting plant for the new buildings of the 
Constantinople College for women. Four of these buildings 
were completed under great difficulties during the Balkan 
wars, and the college, in spite of conditions caused by 
the last great struggle, and enormous prices of coal and 
provisions, has continued its work with a measurably good 
attendance, up to the present time. Now the war is prac- 
tically over. The Ottoman Empire is breaking into frag- 
ments, opening the way for secure, just, and beneficent 
government over that entire land. The men have largely 
been destroyed. The needs of bereaved and impoverished 
women for immediate help in the way of practical educa- 
tion, whereby they may not only become self-supporting, 
but may be able to assist in caring for thousands of 
orphaned children, are most pressing. The Constan- 
tinople College, which has acted as a center for relief and 
protection all through the war, will undertake at once 
work in practical arts and in the training of teachers, 



LAST DAYS 189 

especially for redemptive and reconstructive work in Asia 
Minor and the Balkan States. 

"Could your Foundation during the year ending De- 
cember 31, 1919, grant us a subvention of $50,000, it 
would be consistent with the action which aided us in 
equipping our buildings and would be in keeping with your 
generous attitude in 1915, when you aided the Committee 
for Armenian and Syrian Relief to the amount of about 
$600,000. 

"A second great need, and one which we especially wish 
to present for your consideration to-day is that of medical 
education for women and the training of nurses. It has 
been shown by the survey made by your Foundation, by 
the reports of Dr. A. R. Hoover and others, how sad and 
shocking are the conditions affecting health and the care 
of the sick. There are probably more kinds of disease 
in Turkey than anywhere else in the world and they exist 
in greater volume. The women especially are sufferers. 
Exclusiveness, ignorance, superstition, malpractice, and 
the degrading effects of life in the harem, are all contrib- 
uting causes, but the filthy, unsanitary state of homes, 
villages, and cities and the famine conditions now existing 
cry out to the civilized world for relief. Since the ark 
rested on Mount Ararat, there has never been a moment 
of greater hope for the Near East than the present, but 
philanthropy and education must do their divinely ap- 
pointed work and do it promptly. So to be brief and to the 
point — we would like to send, as soon as possible. Dr. 
Alden R. Hoover to Constantinople to begin preliminary 
work. We think that he can organize a small hospital 
with one or more nurses, he can also open a small dis- 
pensary. As the work develops and the need arises, he 
can employ additional doctors and nurses and find helpers, 
who can be in turn trained. This work may be in part 
self-sustaining, as moderate fees can be charged to those 
who are able to pay. This will be a beneficent and logical 



190 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

foundation for medical training, to be begun next autumn. 

"Dr. Hoover's salary is already provided for. What 
we would request of the Foundation is a gift of $25,000 
for the period ending September 1, 1919, to assist in this 
preliminary work. The trustees will undertake to provide 
an equal sum, making $50,000, a part of which can un- 
doubtedly be spent in equipment of the medical school. 

"Thus far we are asking aid and cooperation in our 
attempt to move promptly in meeting a crying need. We 
realize, however, that if the Foundation in the near future 
decides to invest a large sum in the medical training of 
women in the Near East, it would expect to have much 
to say respecting location, equipment, personnel, and the 
standards to be set. The Constantinople College, which 
had nearly five hundred students before the war, may ex- 
pect to have at least one thousand in attendance in the 
near future. A number of those who have already grad- 
uated, and some of each graduating class, will be likely 
to seek medical training. There is no opportunity of this 
kind for women in the Near East, and the Constantinople 
College is the only independent institution for women in 
that area. Its land and buildings are worth upwards of 
$1,000,000 and more buildings are already needed. Dr. 
Mary Mills Patrick, the president, has earnestly desired 
for years to have a medical school, as one means of saving 
and uplifting the women of the Near East. Should you 
decide to grant the two modest requests which we are 
making, we should wish to have the advice of those of your 
number who have had much experience, and should wish 
to have all branches of our work carefully scrutinized in 
case you take the opportunity of doing so. With the 
end of autocracy and oppression and with the great op- 
portunity for all kinds of educational work, has not the 
time come for prompt and decisive action? 

"Respectfully submitted for the Committee on Medical 
Education and the Committee on General Education." 



LAST DAYS 191 

At about the same time Mr. Button sent to the Press 
an admirable statement of the history, achievements, and 
purposes of the college, a portion of which is reproduced 
here, as follows: 

"It is useless to have . . . aspirations without 
taking definite steps to make them concrete and workable. 

"This the college has already begun to do. Until re- 
cently the cultured side of college education had been 
emphasized above all others. Reconstruction, however, 
cannot be accomplished through a knowledge of the liberal 
arts only. Practical training must have its place, and in 
a small way a start has been made. We learn that courses 
in agriculture have been formed, and both faculty and 
students are cultivating a war garden of vegetables which 
are to furnish food for the college table. The students 
are also learning the care of bees and silkworms. There 
have been instituted courses in the practical arts and these 
Oriental girls are being taught that working with one's 
hands may be as honorable and often far more necessary 
than working solely with one's mind. 

"It is after peace has come that the great expansion 
will take place. The needs are so imperative that it is 
difficult to pick out one as the most vital. Two stand 
out as of supreme importance, a school of education and 
a medical school. Turkey has always had a pitifully 
inadequate supply of teachers. The various systems of 
education throughout the Empire, Moslem, Greek, 
Armenian, and Jewish, have each furnished their own 
teachers. As a rule both the quantity and quality of these 
persons were at fault. In all the systems, funds were 
insufficient, wire-pulling was prevalent, and unjust reg- 
ulations restricted any real development. There were 
practically no training schools for teachers. The college 
should have a definite course of two years or at least a 
year of intensive pedagogical training for graduates, so 



192 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

that they could go out and organize new schools and help 
to build up an intelligent, graded system of education for 
the people. 

"As for the need of a medical school, it is hardly neces- 
sary to point out the ills that would be cured, the wrongs 
righted, by a body of women doctors and nurses, who could 
visit the harems, and isolated towns of the Empire, assist 
in the establishment of approved sanitary conditions in 
towns and villages, and disseminate a rudimentary knowl- 
edge of hygiene and the common rules of health among a 
great mass of ignorant and superstitious people. Dirt 
and disease do their best to wipe out a great number of 
the inhabitants of Turkey every year. There is no proper 
training college for women doctors or nurses in the 
Empire. It is not to be wondered at that the college 
authorities are more than desirous of filling a crying need, 
because they see so clearly the golden opportunity at their 
very gate. 

"After the war, the college wishes to be in close touch 
with the leaders of the reconstruction movement, that 
their graduates may be made use of in getting close to the 
heart of the people, in nursing, doctoring, building, or- 
ganizing, or teaching — whatever it may be. I think it is 
fairly well understood that, while the future foriii of the 
goverimient of Turkey is problematic, it cannot and will 
not remain what it is to-day. Whether Turkey will be 
handed over to a protecting power, to be administered 
until she is capable of self-government, whether she will 
be divided into autonomous states, or whether the city of 
Constantinople will be a free port under an international 
commission which will also be responsible for the peace 
and order of the whole realm, is not important. One thing 
is sure, the Allies are committed to the establishment in 
the Near East of a just and stable government. Plottings 
of unscrupulous Young Turks, deportations of Armenians, 
persecutions of Christians, must be stopped now and for- 



LAST DAYS 193 

ever. Under the government of the future, every race and 
every nation will be allowed to have a hand in its own 
development and education. So that Constantinople Col- 
lege looks forward definitely to taking part and assisting 
that ruling power (whatever it may be) in the great task 
of educating its many peoples. 

"A large part of the work of reconstruction and con- 
sequently of the work of the college will be among Ar- 
menians. Of all Near Eastern races, this one has suffered 
the most. Thousands upon thousands have perished; 
thousands of orphans will need care and education; 
thousands of homeless and poverty-stricken women will 
need assistance in reestablishing themselves. The college 
started originally as a school for Armenian girls, and the 
Armenians, from the beginning of its history, have con- 
stituted a large and important part of the student body. 
They are hardworking, eager students and their love of 
learning and their industry are marked characteristics. 
The Armenian young women who have the advantage of 
the American education offered them at the college will 
be the ones to go out among their people and lead in the 
new order. To enable more Armenian girls to attend the 
college, to bring them for that purpose from remote parts 
of the Empire to Constantinople, should be one of the 
beneficent tasks of the friends of that much persecuted 
race. 

"All races, however, will always have, as in the past, 
an equal opportunity and an equal welcome. It is just 
because of the fact that so many elements can be combined 
in an American institution that the possibilities of the 
education there are limitless." 

Then suddenly, in the midst of all these plans, came 
the armistice, November 11, 1918. Gradually thereafter 
the doors of access to the beleaguered countries began to 
open. The need and demand for relief became more press- 



194 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

ing than ever, the effort to meet it more engrossing. The 
Near East Relief Committee carried through its drive in 
January. It was receiving, in addition, an inflow of nearly 
a million dollars a month, was distributing food and cloth- 
ing throughout the Near East, and maintaining hospitals, 
rescue homes, and orphanages. It was able to announce 
in the summer of 1920 that, from the time of its inception 
to July 1, 1920, it had received and administered a total 
of $40,815,226.74. 

Mr. Dutton now endeavored to realize the second of 
the purposes that he had outlined to the Rockefeller 
Foundation; namely, the scheme for medical training for 
women of the Orient. That Foundation, the Near East 
Relief Committee, and the Constantinople College trustees 
were all brought into cooperation in support of the plan. 
It was agreed that Dr. Hoover, who was then in govern- 
ment service at Camp Dix, should proceed to Constan- 
tinople as a relief worker and should remain for a year 
in the service of the Committee. The trustees of the col- 
lege were to assume responsibility for his salary, and his 
title should be "Director of the Medical Department of 
Constantinople College." He and his family were to live 
at the college, and at the expiration of one year his active 
duties as Director should begin. 

This plan was successfully set in motion. Mr. Dutton 
was in touch with its details, even while on a sickbed and 
up to the day of his death. 

Dr. Hoover started from New York in April, 1919, and 
Mr. Bingham gave to the college funds for Dr. Hoover's 
salary for two years. Arriving in Constantinople, Dr. 
Hoover conducted several clinics during that year, and 
entered into the closest cooperation with the temporary 
hospital service under the auspices of the American Red 



LAST DAYS 195 

Cross. The result was the formation of a committee of 
Americans in that city in 1920 to establish a permanent 
American hospital there. The Red Cross turned over 
to this organization its supplies and equipment and its 
force of doctors and nurses. Dr. Hoover became the head 
of the hospital as well as of the medical department in the 
college. Mr. Bingham, who had become a trustee of Con- 
stantinople College in December, 1919, now pledged him- 
self to assume responsibility to the extent of one hundred 
thousand dollars for the maintenance and development of 
the long desired medical department. The best memorial 
to Mr. Dutton's labors for the races of the Near East 
entered upon its career of beneficence. 

Dr. Patrick was able to write joyfully in 1921 : 

"I wish that he could at present know how wonderfully 
his medical foresight is being justified. We have a suc- 
cessful medical department, started this year, 1920, an 
American hospital in Stamboul, and a training school for 
nurses. In these two institutions six nationalities are 
already represented." 

She adds that his plans for a separate building for a 
teachers college there "have not been realized as yet, but 
have not been forgotten." 

During the fall of 1918 Mr. Dutton was actively co- 
operating in attempts to secure relief agents, nurses, and 
doctors for the service of the Relief Committee in the Near 
East. Early in the ensuing winter, a party of about three 
hundred such workers was assembled in and around New 
York, awaiting transportation. Mr. Dutton determined 
to obtain, if possible, from our Government a transport 
ship to convey this company to Constantinople. After 
many delays and discouragements he finally succeeded. 
Early in February, 1919, the three hundred soldiers of 



196 SAJVIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

peace and welfare were safely aboard the Leviathan, to- 
gether with automobiles and trucks and large quantities 
of medicines, medical supplies, and foodstuffs. The boat 
left New York on February 16th, a raw and blustery Sat- 
urday. Mr. Button had been greatly overworked in the 
preparation for this departure, and was, in consequence, 
under a nervous strain more severe than he realized. 
Naturally, but unwisely, he insisted on going to the dock 
to see the party sail away and to make sure that all the 
final touches were added. 

The unremitting toil of three months had thus come to 
a successful termination, but it was destined to be his last 
achievement. He was chilled during the delays before the 
steamer cast loose and on the following Monday morning 
came the breakdown. The serious nature of his illness was 
at once apparent. His heart was much affected and his 
nerves unstrung. Nevertheless, after a few days he in- 
sisted on having his secretary at his bedside daily for an 
hour's dictation, in order that his correspondence might 
not fall into arrears. 

One of the letters that came to him at this time, under 
date of March 2, 1919, was from his young friend, Shukri, 
still at Saranac Lake but glad to report that the doctor 
declared him out of danger. The point of view of this 
cultured Turk, a gentleman and a Moslem of course, has 
yet a certain interest. He writes: 

"I am happy to be able to congratulate you for the 
ending of the war. No matter how we may feel on the 
outcome of the conflict, we are all happy to feel that the 
bloodshed has stopped. I personally am neither sorry 
nor surprised at the outcome. I think it will be for the 
best of all concerned. Of course my heart feels heavy 
when I remember the suffering of my people; for I can 



LAST DAYS 197 

assure you that the Turks have suffered as much as any 
other nation in this war. 

"Suffering, however, may both be an obstacle and an 
impulse to — as well as the source of — the highest develop- 
ment of power. 

"The Turks are a people most sensitive to suffering, 
but because of lack of sympathy from outside, we have 
developed a power of modera,tion in the feeling of resent- 
ment under pain. We know how to explain suffering as a 
blessing and poison as a food. 

"If an equitable adjustment of the so-called *Near 
Eastern Question' is made, all the suffering of all the 
peoples will not have been in vain; it will, as I said, be a 
blessing. I hope the United States will consent to act as 
mandatory to all Asia Minor as well as Constantinople. 
The people of the Middle East are looking to this country 
for guidance. It is hard to believe that any American can 
take so narrow and selfish a view of America's Mission as 
Mr. Borah & Co. are [taking] at the present time." 

Mr. Dutton's reply expresses gratification at "the 
broad view which you hold in regard to the readjustments 
growing out of the war." He continues, "Personally, I 
can truly say I have no feelings of hostility, and I wish 
for all peoples of the Near East the opportunity for self- 
development and for the security and peace which are 
essential to prosperity and happiness." He concludes his 
letter with the casual statement that, if health permits, he 
intends to go to Constantinople in September, 1919, with 
a company of teachers for the women's college there. 

This plan of travel and service combined had been in 
his mind ever since the beginning of the war in 1914 had 
prevented him from visiting Europe and the Orient. Early 
in the war he had earnestly wished that he might be useful 
in some administrative post on the other side of the 



198 SMIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

ocean. The importance and magnitude of the Armenian 
and Syrian Relief work reconciled him to the idea of stay- 
ing here and devoting himself thereto, but he readily ad- 
mitted that, as soon as the war ended, he must lay aside 
many of his burdens. He wished to concentrate his efforts 
upon Constantinople College, but he hoped that with Mrs. 
Dutton he might go around the world, visiting in partic- 
ular the countries of Japan and China, and that then, 
returning home, he might retire from all other active 
service. During the years, 1916-1918, he had directed 
in various parts of the country the formation of associa- 
tions for the support of Constantinople College, and in 
1919 he had practically completed a well-considered plan 
for raising large amounts of money for the college. At 
this time he remarked to a friend, "I have many educa- 
tional and philanthropic interests — too many to give suf- 
ficient time to them all, and some must be dropped, but 
not Constantinople College." 

With such visions of future usefulness in his mind, he 
was most eager to expedite his recovery and was constantly 
trying to convince himself of his rapid progress. After 
an illness of three weeks in the city, he went soon after 
March 1st to the home of his son-in-law at Spuyten 
Duyvil. Thence he went on March 21st to Atlantic City 
with his wife, partly in the hope that the sea air would be 
beneficial, but more because he had agreed some time before 
to meet there his brother Edward from Boston. This 
arrangement was carried out and the party gathered at 
Haddon Hall. A week passed in pleasant intercourse and 
Mr. Dutton seemed to be improving. He arranged to 
return to New York on the 29th to meet his secretary 
and lay out for her the work of another week, during 
which time he would rest at his home in Hartsdale. 



LAST DAYS 199 

About ten o'clock on the morning of March 28th he 
wrote a letter to Mr. Bray, editor of the League of 
Nations Magazine, telling him of his own plans for the 
ensuing week. Immediately afterward he went to join his 
wife in the ladies' writing-room. When she met him at the 
door he said that he was ill and, after being helped into 
a chair, lost consciousness. He revived only to say that 
he couldn't breathe, and then sank again into unconscious- 
ness, in which quickly and quietly his life was ended. 

A doctor came at once, but could do nothing. Miss 
Marion Pratt, who had for a long time been his secretary 
at Teachers College, who was an intimate friend of the 
family, and by good fortune was then at Atlantic City, 
was a ministering angel to the stricken wife. On that 
same day his son-in-law. Dr. Lynch, landed in New York 
from Europe. The next morning Dr. and Mrs. Lynch 
were in Atlantic City and preparations began for the sad 
homeward journey. On the following Monday morning 
at eleven o'clock, St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University 
was filled with the friends who came to witness the last 
rites of the Church over the beloved dead. A company of 
distinguished men who had been colleagues and associates 
with Mr. Dutton in his life-work were assembled as pall 
bearers. Dr. Raymond C. Knox, chaplain of the Uni- 
versity, conducted the service, assisted by Rev. George 
Hugh Smyth, Mr. Dutton's pastor at Hartsdale, N. Y., 
and by Mr. Dutton's Yale classmate, Rev. Dr. John P. 
Peters. 

All that is mortal of Mr. Dutton lies at rest among the 
trees upon a hillside in Putnam Cemetery at Greenwich, 
Conn. 

Mr. Dutton's will provided that, after the death of Mrs. 
Dutton, five thousand dollars should be given from the 



200 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

estate to Constantinople College. The medical depart- 
ment of that college, which has been evolved in accordance 
with his plans, has already been described as his best 
memorial. There is another memorial to him in Belgrad. 
In May, 1919, the Girls* League of the Horace Mann 
School gave an operetta which brought into the treasury 
a goodly sum of money. They voted to use this money to 
build and equip a dining-hall in the Serbian Orphanage 
at Belgrad in which he had been much interested, and to 
associate Mr. Dutton's name with their benefaction. 

Samuel Train Dutton was physically a man of medium 
height and weight. The tones of his voice were clear and 
musical, well adapted to public spealcing. His manner was 
most friendly and unaffected, and betokened a ready sym- 
pathy for all who sought him. In early life his hair was 
dark in color ; dark also was the hue of his eyes, which were 
unusually bright and expressive, and may be truthfully 
described as beautiful. From these windows of his inner 
spirit came the benignant look which was a constant in- 
vitation to confidence. Manifest good will seemed to radi- 
ate from his features like a light. Hence it was that all 
sorts and conditions of men were willing to trust him at 
first sight. A journalist and publisher, thoroughly hard- 
ened in the ways of the world, said of him, "When he told 
me of something worth doing, I felt that of course I must 
do it, or help at any rate." 

A woman who walked a mile in the rain to hear him lec- 
ture at Walpole, N. H., said, "I was paid for coming, just 
by having a chance to look at him." 

In motion, as in speech, he almost invariably showed 
an example of moderation. He refused to be hurried, but 
set his own pace and kept to it steadily and surely. He 
thus gained a deserved reputation for cool judgment and 



LAST DAYS 201 

common sense, which made his fellows regard him as a 
safe and sane counselor and set a high value upon his 
advice. 

Doubtless he had for years schooled himself to acquire 
a habit of caution, knowing that undue haste and fatigue 
might have serious consequences. This steady self-control 
was all the more significant since he was by nature inclined 
to be impulsive and even impatient. On occasions when 
he felt some provocation that broke the grip of his self- 
control and released his naturally quick temper he would 
surprise his friends by the vigor and severity of his speech. 
Nevertheless, he was remarkably gentle in his judgment 
of persons. Few people ever heard him utter a censorious 
word about any man. Violent contentions beset him in 
New Haven, but he seized opportunities to befriend some 
of those who opposed him there. Not many people are 
strong enough to obey literally the scriptural injunction 
to do good to those that hate us, but he sometimes rose to 
that height. He was born with a generous nature. To 
any friend in need, and indeed to any one who called to 
him out of the depths of a real affliction, he delighted 
to render every aid that he was able to give. 

His friend and colleague. Professor Paul Monroe, drew 
his portrait in a few sentences: "Characterized by great 
gentleness of spirit, he yet possessed latent powers of 
great wrath. Mild in demeanor, he was yet the most 
persistent man in advancing the causes to which he gave 
himself. Offending none, he drew men to him through his 
kindly interest and sympathy." 

His nature was sensitive and affectionate, and he was 
a great lover of his home. He keenly appreciated the 
beautiful and restful environment that his wife and 
daughters created for him and thus felt amply repaid for 



202 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

his unselfish efforts to put them in touch with the best 
that two continents could give them. 

His praise for the achievements of his home-makers was 
so ready and sincere that the burdens of housekeeping 
were measurably lightened thereby, and to some those 
burdens would not have seemed small for he, in literal 
obedience to the apostolic injunction, was "given to hos- 
pitality." His teachers and his students were often in- 
vited to his home, and he was always happiest when there 
were friends and even strangers within his gates. In this 
way the family did sometimes find that they were enter- 
taining angels unaware. The domestic standard of living 
was not changed for company. The good man of the 
house said, "What is good enough for us is good enough 
for any ordinary mortal," and no chance visitor could 
upset the domestic tranquillity. 

Mr. Dutton entered into no athletic diversions in the 
form of games. His life was ordered so as to avoid, if 
possible, any violent physical strain. His favorite recrea- 
tions were reading and walking. 

He was not what is called a voracious reader, but kept 
within certain well defined limits in his selection of books. 
With the literature of education and psychology he was 
well supplied, as a matter of course. Of this nothing 
that was new or significant escaped his attention. He was 
much interested in some phases of economic discussion. 
Specimens of the best new fiction were likely to have a 
place on his library table and in his spare time. His 
mind was neither philosophical nor critical. He read for 
suggestions or diversion. 

His nature was managerial rather than scholarly. His 
interest fastened at once upon practical applications 
rather than upon analysis of principles. His thought 



LAST DAYS 203 

was constructive in the face of concrete problems that 
must be quickly solved. Refinement and delicacy of senti- 
ment were his native possessions, and his culture was of 
the spirit rather than of the intellect, constantly broad- 
ened and enriched by his rare social sense and his ever- 
widening sympathies with all mankind. 

In walking he found both relaxation and intellectual 
profit. He greatly enjoyed the exercise and loved in sum- 
mer to stroll through the woods, but these were the occa- 
sions also when he thought out his plans for the winter's 
tasks. His brain seemed to work better when his body was 
in motion. If his friends saw him walking along the street 
or in the fields, with his head tilted a little to one side, 
apparently oblivious to his surroundings, they knew that 
he was in one of his creative moods, and, if fortune smiled, 
would come home with a plan of campaign ready for use. 

His unflagging interest in the fine arts and particularly 
in music and painting afforded him mingled recreation and 
culture. That love of music which belonged to him by 
inheritance and youthful experience made him keenly 
appreciative of the opportunities which life in great cities 
brought within his reach. The development of unusual 
musical taste and talent in his younger daughter invited 
his solicitude for her professional education and yielded 
him much enjoyment. 

When in Europe, he devoted himself to the picture 
galleries, not from any sense of tourist duty but from 
sheer delight in pictures and from that profound sense of 
the educational value of the Beautiful which led him to 
adorn school buildings with the best examples of pictorial 
and plastic art. In his later years he found the moving 
pictures helpful to supply the relaxation and diversion of 
which he stood in constant need. 



204 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

His bump of humor was well developed. He loved to 
hear and to tell a good story, and when he felt the weight 
of care he would shake the burden off by going with some 
friend to a theater where the two could enjoy together 
some lively farce comedy. The late Charles Hoyt's 
"Texas Steer" rendered him such a service when he lived 
in Brookline and, ever after, a reference to the climaxes of 
that comedy would bring back to him the old enjoyment 
and laughter. He was boyish in his love of teasing of a 
gentle sort. At one time he liked to end letters to mem- 
bers of his family with advice to "Be good, keep cool, and 
stand up straight." 

His humor was never boisterous ; it was quiet and 
quizzical. He could puncture pretension with a friendly 
word whose half-concealed humor carried no sting, but 
was effective enough. Just after he had made a telling 
extemporaneous speech in the Hippodrome to a crowded 
house, he met a self-satisfied forum orator who, without 
any reason other than a desire to impress the bystanders, 
began to brag about the number and power of his public 
speeches. His manner and words implied a sense of 
superiority to his hearers. Dutton listened awhile and 
then quietly asked, "Have you spoken at the Hippodrome 
yet.f*" and he managed to make that simple sentence carry 
the conclusion that a Hippodrome address was the first 
test of excellence. 

Mr. Dutton was himself entirely free from any disposi- 
tion to pose. He was always simple and straightforward 
in manner, and never assumed any character other than 
his natural self. When the young nephew of an old friend, 
probably following family usage, persisted in addressing 
Mr. Dutton as "Sam" and was reproved for it, the latter 
laughed and said, "I like him to use the *Sam' of early 



LAST DAYS 205 

days." Eager for reforms, he ever displayed an instinc- 
tive aversion to fads, and was not unduly swayed by the 
little personal pride that is common to every human 
heritage. 

Once a lady resident in North Carolina, who bore his 
family name, wrote to him and requested information 
about the Dutton lineage. Mr. Dutton's answer was so 
characteristic that it may be reproduced here almost 
verbatim. 

"November 25, 1918. 
"My dear Miss Dutton : 

"Replying to your letter of November 18th, I will say 
that without a shadow of doubt the Duttons in our coun- 
try came from Chester, England. Dutton Hall, where 
they originated, is only a few miles from Chester. I have 
been to Chester at least three times and have been enter- 
tained by the Duttons there. The first one I knew was 
Hon. George Dutton, a friend of Gladstone, who was the 
mayor of the city; and also his son, Harry B. Dutton, 
who has also been both a high sheriff and mayor of the city. 

"The Duttons from whom I sprang came over and 
settled at Billerica, Mass., at least one hundred and 
twenty-five years ago. If I remember rightly there was 
a Thomas Dutton in that group. Some of their descend- 
ants emigrated to New Hampshire, Vermont, and even to 
Ohio. 

"I was born and brought up in Hillsboro, N. H., and 
went from there to Yale. My father and grandfather 
were named Jeremiah, and four or five other members of 
the family had, as Christian names, Ephraim, Silas, and 
so forth. There was a family in Vermont which had 
practically the same names. My ancestors were farmers. 

"The Duttons in Chester have the genealogy of the 
family reaching back to the time of William the Con- 
queror, and my cousins in Boston have, I believe, the 
continuation of the line down to the present time. 



206 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"My life has been too busy to permit me to look up these 
matters. As far as I know, the Duttons have been highly 
respectable, if not brilliant. One of the best circus riders 
I ever saw was a Dutton. I remember that, when I told 
my uncle Ephraim (who was rather strict in the New 
England faith) about it, he asked if he rode well and, on 
my answering, 'Yes,' said that then he was worthy of the 
name, Dutton. 

"Any other question that I can answer, I will be glad 
to." 

To Mr. Dutton, Christianity was a mode of life. He 
sought to make it a daily spirit rather than a profession 
of belief. Wherever he lived he was an active member of 
some church, but he always felt the church to be a means 
and not an end, and religion to be something not confined 
within the limits of any organization. In earlier years 
he had hoped to be a minister. He came to feel that, as an 
educator, he was necessarily a preacher of religion and 
that education must itself bear the flower of the spiritual 
life. It was natural that in his later years he should de- 
vote his rich educational experience to the support and 
development of great missionary enterprises. 

As he grew older, his creed became both simpler and 
stronger, uniting an unshaken trust in the goodness and 
nearness of God to a warm faith in his fellowmen. This 
dual loyalty shone in his daily life, and made him the 
happy warrior that he was. His belief in an overruling, 
beneficent Providence was the source of a buoyant faith 
in the future, yet his imagination was quick to visualize 
and grapple with the problem of evil, wherever concretely 
embodied in human misery, whether in New York or in 
Armenia. If he began to sing with Pippa that God is 
in his heaven, he ended the anthem, not with an optimistic 



LAST DAYS 207 

"All's right with the world," but with an earnest, practical 
call to make some corner more fit for the divine indwelling 
spirit. 

As an educator, Mr. Dutton transformed what he him- 
self thought would be a temporary expedient into a 
permanent career, in which he was conspicuously success- 
ful. This service Professor Monroe has admirably 
summed up thus : 

"Two great tendencies in the development of his office 
became apparent during this quarter century [1875- 
1900]. One was the broadening of the conception of edu- 
cation and of the work of the school, far beyond the 
traditional scope; the other was the development of the 
school administrator into a well defined profession, based 
upon definite technical skill and training. 

"In both respects Mr. Dutton stood out not only as a 
leading exemplar but also as a conspicuous force in bring- 
ing these changes to pass. His 'Social Phases of Educa- 
tion' was one of the earliest expositions of the first of 
these tendencies. Numerous text-books, prepared during 
this period, also embodied his progressive educational 
views. As a community leader, both in Brookline and in 
Boston, he revealed in a novel way the possibilities of his 
nffice. As one of the founders of the Twentieth Century 
Club, and as a participant and often leader in numerous 
movements for social betterment, he gave further concrete 
realization of the new educational ideals." 

From the moment when Samuel Dutton seized his Yale 
diploma and betook himself to South Norwalk to be a 
director of schools, he was in revolt against most of the 
accepted traditions of the school system of his day. He 
aligned himself at once with the pioneers of the new day, 
the Harrises and Parkers, who had been for the most part 
voices crying in the wilderness. These pioneers did not 



208 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

regard education as "a bag-stuffing process." They 
would not accept the overcrowded classrooms, the ill 
trained and poorly paid teachers, the lockstep system of 
promotions, the excessive importance of marks and exam- 
inations, all of which characterized the mechanical, fac- 
tory system of education then in vogue. 

To the leaders of this revolt the social atmosphere sur- 
rounding the child-student was the prime consideration. 
To Mr. Button no theory, no method had the appearance 
of finality. Intent upon the spirit rather than the letter, 
he was willing at any time to change methods if the vital 
process of intellectual unfolding could be improved 
thereby. So into the dry bones of a system Mr. Button 
was always trying to breathe the breath of free life — of 
individual and collective life — and as one of his best 
friends said, "Bespite the packed classrooms, the ineffi- 
ciency of teachers, and the necessity of getting examinable 
results, he did it." 

Because he was convinced that new light was always 
ready and waiting to burst forth, he always grew old along 
with Robert Browning in the belief that "The best is yet 
to be." His quick revolt from dead formulas in education 
seems never to have bred in him moods of cynicism or de- 
pression. His look was always forward, and with hope 
and joy. His friend, Br. Egan, bears emphatic testimony 
to the unfailing cheerfulness with which Mr. Button 
fought the good fight in his profession as well as in his 
wider social efforts. 

"Br. Button always filled me with a new optimism, no 
matter how depressed I was. There were times when the 
indifference of so many of our people of intellect, and of 
what are called 'advantages,' to the great issues of politi- 
cal life very often saddened me; and our conversation 



LAST DAYS 209 

generally turned in this direction, or on some question of 
popular instruction in which we were both deeply inter- 
ested. Into my education had entered certain European 
influences which made me perhaps somewhat narrow and 
at times impatient with what seemed to me to be the ex- 
perimental character — the empirical character, I may 
say — of American systems of instruction. But Dr. Dut- 
ton was always ready to show me that there was great 
hope in our educational system, because it went with the 
traditions and temperament of the people. I soon dis- 
covered that he was one of those high-minded, self-sacri- 
ficing, and great teachers who do not become hardened 
and fixed bj' the exercise of their vocation." 

As the advocate of an unfettered judgment in teaching 
and study, he led, while superintendent in Brookline, the 
opposition to a state-wide agitation for legislation pre- 
scribing what the schools should teach about the use of 
alcoholic and malt beverages. The crusade was led by 
churchmen and officers of the W. C. T. U., some of them 
Mr. Dutton's own friends. It almost attained success, 
but was finally killed by Mr. Dutton's arguments against 
any attempt to determine by statute the exact content of 
instruction on any subject. 

It was not from the precept or example of his college 
that the young Bachelor of Arts derived his ideas about 
education, unless indeed they were the offshoot of a prin- 
ciple of contraries. Yale in his day offered no training 
for the teacher's profession and such skill in teaching as 
newcomers to its faculty possessed had been usually pain- 
fully acquired at the expense of several classes of under- 
graduates. Like all other American colleges of that time, 
Yale intrusted the education of its lower classes to youth- 
ful alumni, chosen because of the high marks they had 
earned by recitation and not without a side glance some- 



210 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

times at their fraternity memberships. The curriculum 
was for the most part sterile and barren of cultural ele- 
ments, dominated by antiquated traditions and theories of 
"mental discipline." 

The result was that tutors and students labored year 
after year at a slowly-turning, droning "gerund-stone," 
which performance, by authority and custom, they ac- 
cepted as an educational process, but which was really, 
for most of them, a process of slow intellectual atrophy or 
even extinction. The class of 1873 possessed several bril- 
liant students some of whom were, on that account, sup- 
posed to be fit to teach and became tutors and professors 
in Yale and elsewhere. The class of 1873 was for many 
years sorely puzzled to find that their "high stand" men 
were outstripped in reputation as educators by class- 
mates who were supposed in college to be negligible as 
scholars or leaders — Hollis B. Frissell, who succeeded 
General S. C. Armstrong at Hampton; Clarence D. Ash- 
ley, who became Dean of New York University Law 
School, and Samuel T. Button, who made public schools 
into community centers. Perhaps these men became true 
educators partly because of a keen realization of what 
crimes were committed in the name of teaching not only by 
the schools through which they had come, but even 
by Alma Mater herself. There is no evidence that in col- 
lege days these three classmates ever influenced each 
other's thought, but during all that time Button and his 
friend Carroll were comparing notes and exchanging ideas, 
and Carroll was then a teacher, in full sympathy with what 
was called "the new education." 

Button had a genius for making acquaintances and 
friends. He gradually acquired an unusual knowledge of 
teachers. In his pocket was always a little notebook in 



LAST DAYS 211 

which he jotted down the names and qualifications of those 
whom he met. After some years these memoranda en- 
abled him to know where to look for any kind of teacher 
and to recommend suitable candidates for vacant posi- 
tions anywhere. As years went on, he widened the range 
of his index of personalities, until he seemed to play the 
part of a bureau of information, always having in mind 
the right man for the right place. 

No school manager could be more eager than he was to 
promote the interests of teachers. He inspired them with 
confidence that he was really a personal friend. His 
judgment of their abilities and of their performance in 
the classroom was remarkably keen and accurate. He 
knew how to encourage a teacher wisely and to bring to 
the surface the good qualities that perhaps he alone had 
detected. He was willing to help them into better places, 
even to the temporary detriment of his own interest. It 
was his constant endeavor to lift teachers out of ruts and, 
above all, to keep them alert for mental growth, con- 
stantly learning as well as teaching. 

He hoped to accomplish this by means of lectures, pub- 
lic meetings, courses of reading, and training classes. To 
his regular teachers' meetings he gave much thought. It 
was his habit to bring before his teachers eminent men 
and women who had a real message to deliver, and the 
teachers felt that they themselves must measure up to the 
high standards of culture commended to them. In Brook- 
line, says his friend, Dr. D. S. Sanford, "It was his cus- 
tom to read at the first teachers' meeting in the fall a 
paper embodying the result of his summer meditations 
upon their common aims and duties. Thus he sounded 
the keynote for the year. On one such occasion, Mrs. J. 
Eliot Cabot, a member of the school board, was present, 



212 SAJNIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

and was so impressed with the value of his comments and 
counsel that she insisted upon having it promptly 
printed.*' 

Thoroughly illustrative of this spirit and manner 
among teachers and students is the following sympathetic 
appreciation of his activities and influence in the Horace 
Mann School, written by an eminent teacher, who was for 
years associated with him there and who had every oppor- 
tunity to observe him closely: 

"Mr. Button's personality was a strong factor in our 
school assemblies. He read the Bible with a deep con- 
viction of its beauty and inspiration, and his quiet, digni- 
fied bearing always suggested the fact that we had come 
together first of all for a religious service, and that there 
was no need for hurry, even at the beginning of a busy 
working day. 

"But that this gentle demeanor could be provoked into 
fiery indignation was evident now and then, when our sing- 
ing lacked enthusiasm and was indifferent to the spirit of 
the hymn or song. At those rare times, however, it was 
less what he said than his whole attitude of righteous 
wrath that roused our boys and girls to an appreciation 
of what they had missed and to a whole-hearted response 
to his rebuke. 

"It was through Mr. Button's vital connection with so 
many national and world-wide associations for the devel- 
opment of human progress that the school was privileged 
to hear from its platform many great leaders of thought 
and action who opened new vistas of interest and inspi- 
ration. 

"Mr. Button's attitude toward the teachers was always 
that of a wise and helpful counselor. How keenly he 
appreciated their difficulties and how successfully they 
were straightened out ! He was a personal friend to every- 
one who went to him for counsel. Never was one allowed 



LAST DAYS 213 

to feel that she was intruding upon the duties of a very 
busy man. One could truly say of him that he worked 
without haste, but without rest. When he left us it was 
as if we had lost a benign, warm-hearted friend, and we 
were the poorer for his going." 

Concerning his frequent talks in teachers' meetings and 
from school platforms there were divergent opinions. 
Sometimes his audience followed and understood him; 
sometimes they found it difficult. It seemed that at times 
his speaking was literally thinking aloud. He was so 
ready to entertain a new idea that he might recast the 
bases of his argument in the presence of his audience. 
His premises were doubtless clear to him, but not to them. 
The effect was like that of a revolving light which, to the 
fixed observer at a distance, alternates intervals of dark- 
ness with flashes of light, but the light is really shining 
somewhere all the time. 

The truth is that when Dutton's hearers thought his 
speech rambling and not connected with the subject in 
hand, he was either trying to convince himself of some- 
thing, or else to lift them up to what he deemed "the broad 
view." He knew that they would see the things before 
their noses. He wanted them to take refuge with him in 
study of the mightier movements of forces. Indeed when 
someone would come into his office, bursting with excite- 
ment about some intimate question of detail, he was likely 
to place the conversation at once upon some distant events 
of world-wide interest and keep it there until the end of 
the interview. It was his belief, apparently, that his subor- 
dinates and colleagues were competent to decide upon 
details without help or interference from him. This habit 
of his mind proved to be a fearful trial to some excellent 
administrators, with a clear vision of routine minutiae, and 



214 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

unwilling to move until every paper had been initialed 
and filed. 

On the other hand, he was most careful, painstaking, 
and accurate in disposing of the details of his own imme- 
diate problem. He had a calm, patient, confident manner 
of working that was a perpetual object lesson to all fussy 
administrators. He was not the man to visualize all the 
related and sequent problems, and see clearly through 
perhaps to a remote future, but he had and developed a 
positive genius for organizing forces to solve the ques- 
tion of the moment. This was the principal element of his 
greatness, and the source of his best achievements. 

Allied to this gift were his quick and thoughtful sym- 
pathies with forces making for social betterment anywhere 
on the round globe, developing within his nature a depth 
of culture, ethical and spiritual in character, of which 
mere scholarship would be incapable. It was this social 
sense that induced him to undertake so much fine public 
service from which he could not expect any selfish advan- 
tage, and impelled him to uphold so insistently before all 
men the vision of the larger world to which the narrow 
personal concerns must be subordinated. It was this out- 
standing quality of human sympathy which fortified his 
unusual ability to work with and through others with tact 
and common sense and without visible worry. It pleased 
him to create the team, to find and push forward the 
right persons to do the work and receive the rewards, 
while he stood behind them, well content if the task were 
worthily done. 

His steadiness for welfare service grew at times into 
the proportions of a besetting peril, if not a fault, and 
betrayed him into overdoing. To any group working for 
human betterment that sought his advice and desired his 



LAST DAYS 215 

help, he scarcely knew how to frame a refusal. So he was 
ever planning to diminish his burdens "next year," and at 
the same moment as constantly distributing his time and 
strength too liberally and too diffusely among the causes 
that commanded his allegiance. Wiser conservation of 
his energy would have prolonged his life. 

But he had the happiness of abiding always close by 
the deepest sources of his inner life. It was his social 
sense and vision that lifted him out of his profession as a 
school administrator, placed him in the current of world 
affairs, and brought him within the circle of statesmen and 
philanthropists. In his later years he had developed the 
qualities of a diplomat, and, if Fate had so determined, 
might have been most useful to his Government in its 
foreign service. 

Nevertheless his deepest impression upon his age lay, 
not in his work for world peace, not in his labor to save 
Armenians and Syrians from death, but in his countless 
personal contacts with thousands of pupils and teachers. 
A host of these look back to him as an inspiration, often 
more truly realized now than in the earlier time, an inspi- 
ration to nobler effort, to deeper knowledge, to world-wide 
sympathies, to better living. Through them his influence 
is still growing, deepening, and expanding, as they rise up 
to call him blessed. Amid the thousand witnesses, take 
one from the other side of the world, Djevad Eyoub, one 
of the Turkish students whom Mr. Dutton brought to 
Columbia University and befriended there: "Samuel T. 
Dutton surely has tributes paid to him by abler hands, 
but none can be more heartfelt than mine. He was just, 
generous, sympathetic, and a rare example of goodness 
and godliness, so much preached and so little known." 



CHAPTER V 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 



A MEMORIAL service in honor of Samuel Train Dutton 
was held in the auditorium of the Horace Mann School in 
the afternoon of April 24, 1919. In this service were 
united the representatives of many societies and organiza- 
tions with which Mr. Dutton had been closely associated. 
The list of cooperating organizations included first, these, 
whose purposes are educational : 

Columbia University, Teachers College, Yale Univer- 
sity, Constantinople College, Canton Christian College, 
Wheeler School, and Choate School; 

second, these whose purposes relate to international good 
will: 

New York Peace Society, American Peace Society, 
World Court League, League of Nations Union, World 
Peace Foundation. Carnegie Endowment for International 
Peace, Cosmopolitan Club, Japan Society, American- 
Scandinavian Foundation, and the Armenian and Syrian 
Relief Committee ; 

third, organizations having a religious character and 
purpose : 

Manhattan Congregational Church of New York City, 
Hitchcock Memorial Church of Hartsdale, N. Y., and the 
weekly newspaper with which Mr. Dutton was editorially 
connected. The Christian Work; 
and fourth, social organizations : 

The class of 1873 in Yale College, the Yale Club, the 

Authors' Club, and the Schoolmasters' Club. 

216 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 217 

Professor John Bates Clark of Columbia University 
took the chair. A quartet sang "The Long Day Closes," 
after which Dr. Clark said : 

"We are here to render, as best we can, our part of a 
very general tribute of honor and affection to the memory 
of Dr. Samuel Dutton. It is safe to say of him that in 
the whole wide range of his activities everyone who knew 
of him honored him, and everyone who knew him loved 
him. Manifestations of this have come to me very fre- 
quently of late, and by the merest chance I spoke to-day 
to Mrs. Egan, the wife of the American minister to Copen- 
hagen when Dr, Dutton was there. She spoke in glowing 
terms of the impression which he made in Copenhagen as 
a lecturer and of the especial place which he won for him- 
self in the hearts of all those who met him. If I could 
repeat her words here, they would be a most welcome addi- 
tion to our own tributes. It is certain that in other parts 
of the world this rare combination of respect with warm 
personal feeling was found. Of at least one large Balkan 
country that is certainly true, and as for Armenia and 
Syria, it would be strange indeed if the name of Dr. Dut- 
ton were not there regarded almost as that of an angel of 
light, for there he fulfilled, in a literal way and on a vast 
scale, the scriptural injunction to feed the hungry. It is 
certain that his quiet efficiency in Armenian and Syrian 
Relief added greatly to the effect of the vast gifts that 
have gone from America to that desperately suffering 
region. 

"Our tribute would have been shared with a much larger 
company than is here if engagements of an exacting kind 
had not detained many persons, I have a considerable 
list of regrets that are all evidently heartfelt and have 
come from those whose names you would be interested in 
knowing." 

Dr. Clark then read these names: Rev. Dr. Arthur 
Judson Brown, President Nicholas Murray Butler, Pro- 



218 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

fessor William H. Carpenter, Mr. Cleveland H. Dodge, 
Professor Franklin H. Giddings, Rev, Dr. Charles E. 
Jefferson, Professor George W. Kirchwey, Dr. Henry 
Goddard Leach, Bishop Edwin S. Lines, Rev. Dr. John P. 
Peters, Bishop Philip Rhinelander, Dean James E. Rus- 
sell, Dr. William H. Schofield, Dr. Albert Shaw, Mr. 
Frederick J. Shepard, Professor David Eugene Smith, 
ex-President William Howard Taft, Dr. Talcott Williams, 
Dean F. J. E. Woodbridge, 

"Dr. Dutton's activities were so many that it would 
detain you too long even to read a list of them, for he was 
an officer of colleges, schools, a wide range of peace socie- 
ties and other organizations for promoting international 
good will, university clubs, churches, religious societies, 
and others. And it is safe to say that, in every one of 
these connections, his quiet helpfulness and his remarkable 
capacity for securing results made itself felt. Verily, he 
has been faithful in more than a few things and fitted to 
rule over very many, and he has earned the Master's 'Well 
done' throughout the entire course of his fairly long, 
always efficient, beautiful life. 

"Of the letters of regret which have come I will take the 

time to read two — those from Dr. Schofield and Dean 

Russell : 

"East Hill, Peterborough, N. H. 

„, , , ^^ ,, "April 9, 1919. 

"My dear Holt : ^ ' 

"I am very sorry that I cannot be in New York on the 
24th and join with you in the Memorial Service for Mr. 
Dutton, but it seems at present out of the question. 

"Since Mr. Dutton's sad death I have been trying to 
define the secret of his uniqueness, for he was unique in 
my acquaintance and my memory keeps reverting to the 
phrase the poet Occleve used of his beloved master Chaucer 
in trying to explain his charm, 'He always said the best.' 
I cannot recall Mr. Dutton's ever saying anything but 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 219 

the best of any man or project. Now, a man who always 
says the best always has the best before him and 
always tries to do his own best. Mr. Dutton idealistic- 
ally always said the best. The world, alas ! is now almost 
wholly given over to contempt and recrimination. It 
would be better if we had more men who, like Mr. Dutton, 
were serene. 

"With kind regards, and looking forward to seeing you 
soon, I am 

"Very sincerely yours, 

(Signed) "W. H. Schofield. 

"P. S. Please express to the meeting my great regret 
at not being able to pay my tribute to Mr. Dutton's fine 
character." 

Teachers College 
New York City 

"April 23, 1919. 
"My dear Professor Clark : 

"I regret that I shall be unable to attend the meeting 
on Thursday afternoon and pay my tribute in person to 
the memory of Dr. Dutton. Perhaps it is as well that I 
should not attempt to say extemporaneously what is in 
my heart to say. 

"For fifteen years — the crowning years of his profes- 
sional life — we worked together in closest harmony. Pos- 
sibly no one else worked with him professionally for so 
long a time, certainly no one had a chance to know him 
better, and now at the end of twenty years I cannot recall 
a single word or act that was not prompted by the truest 
professional sincerity and reinforced by the nicest pro- 
fessional courtesy. A truer comrade and a more loyal 
colleague no one ever had. Words fail me when I try to 
give expression to the debt I owe him. 

"Twenty years ago Teachers College w&s mostly a 
dream. Students were few, financial support was meager, 
and its reputation negligible. One needed abounding faith 



220 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

to see in the struggling institution an opportunity to give 
service to education, comparable to that offered in the 
public schools. And more than faith was needed by a 
superintendent of schools who stood at the head of his 
profession in one of the most progressive cities in the 
country and who could confidently look forward to per- 
manent tenure of office under conditions more favorable 
than are usually accorded to members of the teaching 
profession. 

"When the call was presented to Mr. Dutton, however, 
to become Superintendent of the Horace Mann School 
and Professor of School Administration in Teachers Col- 
lege, there was no hesitation on his part. He believed that 
he could make the school an exponent of his theories of 
administration and demonstrate in practice that school 
superintendents might profitably shorten their period of 
apprenticeship by studying the successes and failures 
of their predecessors. He believed, too, that there were 
principles of education which could be systematized and 
made available to the novice as guides to his professional 
work. No man ever entered more heartily upon an un- 
charted course than he did when he became the first Pro- 
fessor of School Administration in Teachers College — 
indeed, the first to assume such a position in any institu- 
tion in the world. To-day such professorships are found 
in all the leading universities of the United States. He 
began with a few students, but the number increased rap- 
idly when it was seen that he had something worth giving, 
and at the time of his retirement from active service he 
had the satisfaction of knowing that men who had sat 
under his instruction were occupying the strategic posi- 
tions in the public schools and teachers' colleges of the 
country. Through his students, and his students' stu- 
dents — they are already numbered by the thousands — the 
spirit of Samuel T. Dutton has gone out, and will con- 
tinue to go out to all the world. 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 221 

"I might speak at length of the realization of Mr. 
Button's plans for the development of the Teachers 
College Schools, of his triumph over hindrances that 
would have discouraged a less persistent man and over- 
come a less sagacious one, of his leadership among men 
engaged in the service of public schools, and of his educa- 
tional writings, which were among the first to emphasize 
school administration as a specialized profession. Great 
as was his work reckoned in terms of accomplishment, I 
find myself dwelling on what he was rather than on what 
he did. He had a positive genius for friendship. A man 
of his word, positive, energetic, and courageous, one 
always knew where to find him. He had deep-seated con- 
victions and was not afraid to express them in word and 
deed. He could be righteously indignant and even severe 
in his treatment of offenders, but he knew how to temper 
justice with mercy and to distinguish between the sin and 
the sinner. The trait which endeared him most to his 
colleagues and made him a great teacher of teachers was 
his peculiar ability to see the good in others and draw it 
out. His was a truly helping hand, and it was never 
withdrawn from one in need. He made friends because he 
himself knew how to be a friend. 

"To his widow and children I extend my deepest sym- 
pathy, but I rejoice that I can claim with them a memory 
that lessens the grief of separation. 

^^ "Sincerely yours, 

(Signed) "James E. Russell, 

"Dean." 
The chairman then introduced in turn the chosen 
speakers, whose remarks are here given substantially as 
uttered. 

President Arthur Twining Hadley of Yale : 
"Ladies and Gentlemen: It is nearly half a century 
ago since Dutton and I were in college together. He was 



222 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

a Senior — a very distinguished Senior. I was beginning 
life as a Freshman, and well do I remember how little he 
appeared to be concerned over the difference between his 
status and mine. Thus began the friendship which has 
lasted through a lifetime. In the years following his 
graduation he was superintendent of schools in New 
Haven and I had the opportunity of seeing him almost 
daily. We were members of a club in which the affairs of 
the day were discussed, discussed with a freedom that 
showed what the real man had in his heart. And Dut- 
ton — I cannot frame my lips to say Dr. Dutton, so 
democratic was the man, I should just as soon say Dr. 
Gladstone — Dutton was always active in discussion but 
never aggressive, except on those rare occasions when he 
was in the hopeless minority in an argument which seemed 
to need aggression. 

"At that time one of his most striking characteristics 
was his open-hearted friendliness to all, wherever and in 
whatever way they came in contact with him. He not 
only wanted to do good to those about him, but he wanted 
to do them good in their own way. He had that very rare 
quality among people of benevolent disposition, that he 
was open of ear and open of mind to listen to what the 
other man really thought. And of hardly less importance 
was his openmindedness to facts of every kind. He had 
a passion for the truth and for those topics which make 
up the truth. This combination of caring for people and 
caring for facts made Dutton stand out among men. The 
two do not often go together. Those who care for people 
are blind towards facts and those who care for facts are 
hardened against people. Dutton had both qualities com- 
bined and they made him a strong man in the varied lines 
of work which he undertook." 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 223 

Dr. John H. Finley, President of the University of 
the State of New York, and State Commissioner of Edu- 
cation : 

"The Board of Regents of the State of New York has 
to-day adopted a resolution to give in memory of Dr. 
Dutton. There is no need of my reading it to you. I 
shall present it to the chairman of this memorial service. 
It will be entered upon the permanent record of the State. 

"I should be glad to add a word in support of the 
official resolution, if that were necessary. I should be 
glad, also, to speak out of my personal affection for Dr. 
Dutton, whom I knew in many relationships. But I am 
sure that you would rather hear, through me, the voice of 
one in that far country to whom he has brought comfort 
and succor. 

"I saw tens of thousands of Armenian refugees out in 
Syria and Asia Minor, and no one appealed to me more 
than a little girl, whose brief story I shall read, as told by 
herself and translated by one of her own people who also 
speaks English. In the last half hour before my leaving 
Aleppo, this little wandering child (for she is still far 
from her home) sang in the dim light the plaintive song 
of her exile. It had all the pathos of the race's years of 
suffering in it, with a touch of her gratitude at the end. 
I only wish I could reproduce the music itself which is 
still in my ears. This story was told by herself to Miss 
Altounyan, the daughter of the great Armenian doctor — 
perhaps the greatest in all Asia Minor — himself once an 
orphan." 

The Story of Little AroosiaJc. 

"When the Armenian deportation began, we, with many 
others, were made to leave our comfortable home in Brousa 
to travel southward. Our family consisted of father, 



224 SAMUEL TRAIN DUTTON 

mother, and my three sisters, I being the youngest. For 
about a year we wandered, sometimes traveling by train, 
sometimes walking for days across the mountains. At 
last we reached Raas-el-Ain (a small station on the Bag- 
dad railroad) where thousands of Armenians in the same 
plight as ourselves had been gathered under tents. There 
my father and mother, exhausted by all the hardships that 
we had gone through, died of typhus, leaving us four 
sisters alone with no means of livelihood. My sisters were 
prettier than I and were afraid to show themselves, lest 
some Arabs or Circassians should seize them. I, being 
only a child of ten, was able to go about and beg for us all. 

"After having lived like this for about four months, we 
were made to travel southward again toward Der Zor. 
On the way we came to a river which had to be forded. I 
was the last to remain on the bank, being too small to 
wade across the river by myself. Seeing that I was going 
to be left behind, I bribed an Arab to carry me across on 
his back. The bribe was a silver cup, the last little relic 
of our home, which I had kept till then. 

"Our path led along the bank of the river. Two of my 
sisters having got separated from us, I was alone with my 
only remaining sister, when an Arab tried to pull me 
down from the donkey I was riding and carry me off to 
his home. I resisted and, getting angry, he drew his 
sword, wounded me on my hand and my head, and pushed 
me into the river. While struggling in the water I heard 
the report of a gun and the cry of my sister. What 
became of her I do not know, but I have never seen her 
since. Having got hold of a bush near the water's edge, 
I dragged myself out of the river and found myself alone 
in the desert, surrounded by the corpses of those who had 
been lately killed by the Arabs. I knew that I should soon 
be found, so the only way I could hide myself was to crawl 
under these corpses and pretend that I was dead. Soon 
my fears were realized, for Arabs came, turning over every 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 226 

corpse and stripping it of anything that might be useful 
to them. They also took me for dead at first, but soon 
the color of my face betrayed me and I was taken away 
by an Arab to his home in a village. It seems that I 
resembled a daughter of the house who had just died, so 
I was treated well, but another Armenian girl, who was 
brought to the house, was brutally treated and she seemed 
fated to receive my share of blows, as well as her own. 
The Circassians having ordered the Arabs to give up all 
Armenian girls they had in their houses, my friend Anna 
and I were tattooed, so that we were taken for daughters 
of the house. 

"At last Anna felt that she could bear the curses and 
blows of her master and mistress no longer and persuaded 
me to accompany her in trying to escape. One morning 
when we were sent to gather wood we did not return, but 
followed a path which we hoped might lead us to some 
Armenian camp. All day long we wandered, hungry and 
thirsty, never finding any sign of life. At last toward 
evening we came across a little pool of stagnant green 
water, of which we drank eagerly ; then catching sight of 
some green in the far distance, we made our way to it, 
thinking it might be some grass which we could eat ; to our 
joy we found that it was a fig tree with the unripe fruit, 
which we devoured, and then we made up our minds that 
we would spend the night there. We were on the top of 
a little hill overlooking the vast plain, with the stars over- 
head and the bones of dead Armenians all around us. It 
was during this night that Anna and I made up a song 
about ourselves. In the morning we decided to go toward 
the place where we had seen a small light burning, not 
knowing whether we should fall into worse hands than 
those we had fled from. What was our surprise to find 
that we had returned to our old home, having wandered 
around in a circle ! 

"I managed to escape the punishment by saying that 



226 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

we had lost our way, but Anna again did not escape and 
was so severely flogged that she made up her mind to run 
away a second time. I did not hear from her for a year, 
after which I got a letter from her saying that she had got 
amongst some Armenians and begging me to join her. At 
last I persuaded my master to take me to Nisibin, where 
my friend was, saying that I had heard that my sister was 
there and that we could then bring her back with us. 
When we had got there, I was adopted by an Armenian 
and I then refused to return with my former master. 

"But I was not able to stay with him for long. A Turk, 
Ismail Hakki Bey, having seen me and taken a fancy to 
me, had my new Armenian father flogged and exiled, while 
I was taken and put into a hospital, there to be kept until 
Ismail Hakki Bey had time to take me to Aleppo and put 
me in a Moslem school. Fortunately for me, he was 
obliged to leave for a few days, and during this time I was 
rescued from my prison by a young Armenian, who gave 
me over to some Turkish friends of his who were going to 
Aleppo. In their house I stayed until the British came 
and gave us liberty. 

"I was then able at once to leave the house I was stay- 
ing in and come to the orphanage, where I can at last live 
in peace and safety." 

Attested by 

NoiiAH Altounyan, 

82 High Street, Hampstead, London. 

(Verbal translation of the song sung by the two little 
girls in the desert to a tune of their own composition.) 

Aroosiak: 

"Come, come, let us wander in the valleys and on the 

mountain tops in search of our dear parents. 
Where are now our sweet father, mother, and sisters.'' 
Woe to us, they have been martyred ; 
Wild beasts and ferocious wolves have torn them to pieces. 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 227 

O bones, tell us if you are the bones of our dear ones ; 
We cannot bear to live without father and mother. 
Hands folded upon your breast and head bent, 
Tell me, O dear orphan companion, tell me thy sorrows." 

Anna: 

"My blood is dried up and my heart is faint ; 
My face is sallow and thin. 
What can my answer be but to cry, cry. 
Till the salt tears dry upon my cheeks ! 
Is there no one to comfort? 
O if those that knew me saw where I am now !" 

"Is there no one to comfort? Yes, the Comforter has 
come. The messengers of Dr. Dutton's committee are in 
that city. The children out there do not know that Dr. 
Dutton has died. Indeed, they never will know. He will 
live on as long as the last of them can remember." 

Resolution adopted at a meeting of the Regents of the 
University of the State of New York, April 24, 1919: 

"The Regents of the University of the State of New 
York desire to express in a formal manner and to place 
on permanent record their appreciation of the life and the 
services of Doctor Samuel Train Dutton, who died March 
28, 1919. 

"Doctor Dutton was born in 1849, was graduated from 
Yale College in 1873, and immediately after his gradua- 
tion entered uDon his life work in education and human 
betterment that was to continue for forty-five years. He 
served successively as teacher, principal, superintendent, 
and college professor, in each field attaining a success 
that led to his being called to fields of greater responsi- 
bility and greater influence. From 1900 to 1915, as pro- 
fessor of school administration in Teachers College, 
Columbia University, New York, he exercised an influence 



228 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

on education in this state that would be impossible to 
estimate. 

"During the period when he was actively engaged in 
responsible educational work Doctor Dutton found time 
to record in book form the conclusions derived from his 
rich experience, especially in the field of school adminis- 
tration, and at the same time he was active in a large 
number of organizations looking toward the advancement 
of education and specially toward the promotion of peace. 

"In recognition of the influence of Doctor Dutton the 
Regents of the University direct that this memorandum 
be inscribed in the minutes of this meeting and that Regent 
Alexander and the President of the University be in- 
structed to present this minute at the meeting to be held 
in Doctor Dutton's memory at Teachers College, this 24th 
day of April." 

Me. Hamilton Holt, editor of The Independent : 

"Our friend Vi'hose memory we commemorate here to-day 
had the inestimable privilege of leaving an impression on 
his day and generation in two great fields of human en- 
deavor. Professor Dutton was a great educator. He 
was also a great internationalist. Others will speak of 
him this afternoon as an educator. I knew him chiefly as 
an internationalist, and I therefore bear testimony to the 
fact that few, if any, Americans in the last generation 
have worked with broader vision, deeper sympathy, and 
more unfailing courage than he to bring about peace on 
earth and good will to men. This is not the place to set 
a final appraisement upon his international endeavors, but 
it is astonishing to recall how close he was to the more 
vital international efl"orts that have been moving in 
America since the calling of the First Hague Conference 
exactly twenty years ago. 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 229 

"I suppose it was at the Lake Mohonk Conference of 
International Arbitration that Professor Button first 
became interested in internationalism. At all events we 
find him and Oscar Straus and Professor Ernst Richard 
as the three persons responsible for founding the New 
York Peace Society, which I may say, without being in- 
vidious, has done more in a constructive way to steer the 
peace movement in America in sane and progressive paths 
than any other organization, or pretty nearly all the 
others combined. Professor Button was the first secre- 
tary of the New York Peace Society during all its early 
struggling years when its budget was small, and he carried 
on most of its activities in his own office without any com- 
pensation but the reward that comes from the conscious- 
ness of public service faithfully performed. 

"Professor Button and Robert Erskine Ely were the 
two who took upon themselves the heavy responsibility of 
organizing the First National Peace Congress of the 
United States in 1907. This was truly a pioneer and 
stupendous undertaking and fully demonstrated Professor 
Button's rare executive ability. The Congress was a 
great success and, as far as I know, in point of size and 
distinguished delegates was the most important gathering 
of its kind ever held in New York City and probably, 
therefore, in the country. 

"Like most all men who get into the international 
movement. Professor Button found himself getting deeper 
and deeper involved. He was one of the very few Ameri- 
cans who attended the Second Hague Conference, which, 
as Mr. Root has well said, marked the farthest advance in 
international affairs ever reached by the world up to that 
time. 

"When that eminent Boston publisher-philanthropist. 



230 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

the late Edwin Ginn, gave the first million dollars ever 
given to the cause of universal peace, he naturally picked 
out Professor Dutton for one of his directors, and Pro- 
fessor Dutton till the day of his death spent much time in 
shaping the policy of that great Foundation. 

"I may also state here that Professor Dutton was one 
of a small group of four or five men who brought to the 
attention of Mr. Carnegie the advisability of endowing the 
peace movement. This resulted in the ten million dollar 
donation that established the Carnegie Endowment for 
International Peace. Knowing the history of this dona- 
tion from its inception, I am inclined to think that no one 
of the group had as much — certainly no one had more — 
to do with bringing the endowment into existence than 
Professor Dutton, excepting of course Mr. Carnegie. 

"When the American Peace Society moved from Boston 
to Washington and attempted to coordinate the whole 
peace movement of the United States under its banner, no 
man played a more statesmanlike role in bringing about 
this delicate and perplexing amalgamation than Professor 
Dutton. For some years he acted as one of the regional 
representatives of the American Peace Society, having for 
his special field New York and New Jersey. 

"While engaged in these engrossing duties he found 
time to help found the Japan Society and the American 
Scandinavian Foundation. The Japan Society has been 
the leading and most influential of all the various organi- 
zations that have been founded in the country to promote 
closer relations between the United States and our sister 
countries. He Las been Honorary Secretary of the Japan 
Society since its foundation. 

"When the poor Danish immigrant Niels Poulson came 
to this country three generations ago little did he expect 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 231 

to amass a great fortune and leave it to promote better 
relations between his native and his adopted country. But 
such was the case. Professor Dutton was a valued 
director of the American-Scandinavian Foundation and 
one of the first exchange lecturers to the Scandinavian 
countries under the auspices of the Foundation. 

"In two institutions Professor Dutton was able to com- 
bine his interests in education and internationalism. He 
became a very active trustee of both the Canton Christian 
College and the Constantinople College for girls. These 
two colleges increased his interest in the Far East and the 
Near East. He had already visited Constantinople when, 
at the instigation of the Carnegie Endowment, he made a 
visit to the Balkans to investigate the aftermath of the 
Balkan war. He was planning to visit the Orient this 
coming year and would have done so, save for his untimely 
death. 

"When the great war broke out he saw that the issue 
was between right and wrong, and that when the right was 
involved it was worth fighting for. He saw that a League 
of Nations was the only hope of an ordered world after 
the Central Powers were beaten, but he could not throw 
in his efforts completely with the program of the League 
to Enforce Peace, which was then printing the word 
*Enforce' on its letter heads in red ink. He accordingly 
threw in his lot with the World Court League, which laid 
emphasis rather on the legalistic features of world organi- 
zation than on the sanctions. Nevertheless, it was he who 
helped bring the two organizations into a working agree- 
ment, so that those who wished to emphasize force and 
those who wished to minimize it could present a united 
front to the country. 

"But his greatest contribution to the war was his work 



232 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

in the Armenian Syrian Relief. His was easily the most 
important personality in this organization. He, himself, 
raised thousands and thousands of dollars for this cause, 
which stands with Belgiimi as the greatest cause to touch 
the heart of humanity in this great war. Had he lived, 
there would be no American more suitable to administer 
Armenia if the United States should accept a mandate for 
that sore distressed but superb people. 

"Only those of us who worked with Professor Dutton 
realized how much of himself he gave to any cause with 
which he associated himself. He was not of that class who 
simply lend a name or sign a check. His adhesion to a 
cause was not perfunctory. He gave it the best he had. 

"In all the committees with which I worked with him 
I never heard him lose his patience or his temper. Many 
a strained situation I can recall was saved by his gentle 
courtesy and his playful humor. And yet when a real case 
of injustice came up, I can see now his eyes blaze and his 
voice take on that deeper vibrant note as the emotion 
surged over him. 

"Within the past year I have been privileged to visit 
Europe twice. The one thing that has again and again 
been impressed upon me is the impassable separation of 
classes. The man that is not born to wealth and position 
must content himself perforce always to live in an inferior 
social scale. But one must be proud to be an American 
when one thinks of the career of Samuel Dutton. A poor 
farmer's boy, born in the last days of homespun among 
the rugged hills of New Hampshire, yet the spirit of free 
America touched his ambition. He worked his way 
through school and college and now, at the end of three- 
score years and ten, he is one of those elect who have well 
served his day and generation. Though he died no doubt 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 233 

poor, measured by the worldly standard of his times, he 
has left a great estate to us and all generations — the life 
of a good man well lived." 

Rev. Dr. Henry A. Stimson, pastor of the Manhattan 
Congregational Church : 

"I cannot allow myself to run the risk of trespassing 
beyond the very few minutes given to me to speak of a 
valued friend where so many are expecting to do the same 
thing. 

"We have known in him a truly gentle man and have 
been in touch with a richly and rarely fruitful life. We 
have seen both controlled by a genial and untroubled 
Christian faith. His modesty would lay a restraining 
finger on our lips did we not restrict ourselves to bearing 
testimony, as he would humbly and gladly do himself, to 
what Jesus Christ his Lord and Savior had done in and 
through him. We may attempt that without fear. We 
can thank God for the gifts that made him what he was 
and for the well chosen and beneficent use to which he 
devoted them. 

"He had a rare gift of kindness, in which he found 
much happiness. *Then it was selfish,' some would say. 
But it mastered him, forming his character and guiding 
his life. His courtesy, which was characteristic, was sim- 
ply the reflection of a genuine kindliness and interest in 
others, which led him not only to respond to every oppor- 
tunity of helpful service, but to seek it and to make it 
where others did not know that it existed. He bore his 
own burdens so quietly that he could freely take up the 
burdens of others, which I knew him to do at times with 
what is a too rare thoughtfulness. Tales could be told 
which would stir your hearts if it would not be an offense 



234 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

to a self-forgetful reticence which was broken only to his 
pastor. 

"Many of you knew the quiet courage with which he 
attacked difficult tasks and his very exceptional gift in 
winning men hard to approach and still harder to con- 
vince, bringing them to share his interest in some new 
task and often to undertake heavy duties at his request. 
You know them as men of a class quick to distinguish 
feeling that is genuine and an interest that is both un- 
selfish and worth while. I have long wondered at and 
admired his success in inducing such men to devote them- 
selves to enterprises of which he alone was entirely 
incapable. For this reason so much of his best work will 
go forward, now that he has been called to his reward. 

"He did his life-work quietly and well. As a Christian 
he gave himself to the doing of it. From happy and grate- 
ful homes in Brookline as from many here whose children 
were under his wise and beneficent care, and from the 
sorely tried teachers and graduates of Constantinople 
College far away, will come expressions of gratitude for 
what he did for them, mingled with sorrow over the great 
loss his death has entailed upon them as upon us. The 
soldiers fall, the army moves on. We thank God for every 
note of triumph with its blessed 'Well done !' We are all 
helped to take heart and thank God for him." 

Dr. Charles H. Levermore, secretary of the New 
York Peace Society: 

"Ladies and Gentlemen: Forty years ago Dr. Dutton 
and I were drawn together by a common interest in the 
same profession, in which I was a novice and he was then 
already known as a master. It was my good fortune to 
begin thus a friendship which has been lifelong. With the 
kindly habit of his nature, he was most generous in sharing 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 235 

the fruits of his experience and observation, of which he 
had so great a store and which he used with such sagacity. 
As the years rolled on, we reasoned together less of pro- 
fessional interests and always more of righteousness, tem- 
perance, and judgment to come, and especially of a world 
made free by learning obedience to a government of laws 
and not of men. Upon these issues he threw the light of 
his refined, wise, and warm-hearted personality. 

"That personality, as it seemed to me, was the very 
incarnation of good will, of generous sympathy. The 
Christmas song of the angels, as recorded in the revised 
version, 'and on earth peace among men of good will,' 
suggests how and why Dr. Dutton's nature led him in- 
evitably and unerringly into the work for international 
peace and made him a captain therein. He early became 
a leader in the Mohonk Conferences. You have already 
heard how close he was to the counsels of Mr. Carnegie 
and Mr. Ginn, when those philanthropists set apart their 
generous endowments. He remained in the directorate 
of Mr. Ginn's Foundation to the very end. He was him- 
self among the founders of the World's Court League, and 
during the last few years, as its chief executive officer, he 
lifted it to a high plane of efficiency. He was one of the 
founders of the present New York Peace Society. Per- 
haps his last recorded thoughts were devoted to the union 
of these societies under the name of the League of Nations 
Union. He achieved an international reputation as an 
advocate of good will, but he never lost contact with facts. 
He chased no shifting cloudland Utopias. He loved peace, 
but only the peace which is based on justice. As a loyal 
American and a true democrat, he hoped and labored for 
a regime of peace with justice under law. 

"His personality abounded in the saving grace of 



236 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

humor. Only those who were very near to him knew how 
fond he was of play and how he always kept close to the 
surface of age the spirit of boyhood. 

"He was splendidly loyal to his ideals and to his friends, 
and his friends met his fidelity and confidence with warm 
affection. His personality combined patience and cau- 
tion, carried to a high degree, but whenever patience 
ceased to be a virtue, no man could be more righteously 
impatient. His life was full of steady power, masked by 
a gentle speech and quiet manner, but a firm and coura- 
geous force, all the more effective because it was so noise- 
less. And we found always in him a wide-angled vision, a 
vision of faith in the eternal goodness, of hope for human- 
ity, and of service for the common welfare. 

"Good will, humor, loyalty, patience, power and vision 
— these seem to me to be the signs and seals of the earthly 
ministry of our dear friend, that gallant gentleman, 
Samuel Train Dutton." 

Professor David S. Snedden, State Superintendent of 
Education in Massachusetts : 

*'For twenty years during the zenith of his professional 
life the man who will long be known to Teachers College 
graduates as Professor Dutton was superintendent of 
schools in two of the most progressive cities, education- 
ally, of the period. These twenty years filled the two 
closing decades of the nineteenth century. During this 
time several far-reaching changes were taking place in 
public education. The office of superintendent of schools 
was being made a truly professional post. In the schools 
a more humane, a more social spirit, was developing. In 
both of these movements Mr. Dutton was generally recog- 
nized as a pioneer thinker and leader. As superintendent 
of schools, no less than in his other activities, he com- 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 237 

bined a rare idealism and vision with a shrewd and very 
practical wisdom in meeting daily responsibilities. 

"It was in 1900, I think, when Superintendent Button 
of Brookline became Professor Dutton of Teachers Col- 
lege. My personal contact with him began at this time. 
The student-professor relationship soon became something 
much more intimate, and for fifteen years I enjoyed pro- 
fessional and personal association with him. He always 
had many educational irons in the fire, but they never 
suffered from neglect. His persistence, insight, and 
methodical administration enabled him to discharge many 
daily responsibilities and at the same time to keep abreast 
of movements of much more than passing importance. 

"Much has been said here to-day, and justly, relative 
to Professor Button's works of a humanitarian character. 
But it is my privilege, speaking from much experience, 
to testify to the far-reaching influence of his ideals and 
practices on public education in America. The public 
schools had no stronger advocate than Professor Dutton ; 
and always he was ready to bring his practical wisdom 
to bear in proposing new developments in them. In that 
capacity he influenced hundreds, if not thousands, of edu- 
cators during his service in Connecticut, Massachusetts, 
and New York." 

Me. Geouge Foster Peabody, philanthropist: 
"Ladies and Gentlemen : I cannot resist the temptation 
to say a word of tribute to the man whose character has 
been spoken of so highly in every way by those who have 
preceded me. I am merely a business man of the city who 
has come to feel the power of this simple earnest life, 
reaching out in so many directions and indicating so 
clearly how his trained mind had, by his earnest spirit 
and the simplicity of his evident knowledge, quietly im- 



238 SMIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

pressed his personality upon the man of affairs. One of 
the dangers in the business aspect of life, so strenuous in 
the great metropolis of this country, is to lose sight of the 
really effective forces of life. 

"I recall how much I was impressed when the first 
Brooklyn bridge was built, in observing the allowance 
for the play of expansion and contraction in the steel 
structure. This impression has been helpful to me in 
coming up against a strongly concentrated power, by re- 
calling how really inconsiderable this may be when com- 
pared with the simple forces of nature. It seems to me 
that humanity has not come to believe in the true sources 
of power. It is of great importance that we should realize 
that the most prominent and persistent and accomplishing 
forces which we observe are, after all, not so sure and 
compelling as this same quiet way of doing the right and 
the true thing, based upon conscience and the wisdom of 
experience which, in the main, are often unconsciously 
exercised. Professor Button had attained to this, and his 
realization of it, which was truly international in scope, 
and his understanding of the different nationalities, with 
whom we are becoming more familiar to-day, constantly 
helped him to emphasize the real power of the inner sources 
of life and their product of wisdom. As a teacher, he 
realized this truth, and so this Horace Mann School, in 
sending out so many well trained boys and girls, spread 
abroad in the finest way the splendid living influence of 
Boctor Button, its official head. 

"Our friend, relating himself to business of various 
kinds through the men of affairs amenable to his influence, 
so easily exercised that influence that these men gladly 
followed his leading. Men of the character of Br. Button, 
whose wisdom was always manifest, always finely and 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 239 

clearly expressed, who devised humane methods of organ- 
ization and commanded the finest of viewpoints, are more 
and more necessary to the life of this new world period. 
His realization of what might be done and also his com- 
prehension of how to begin and how to progress were so 
helpful and so forceful that we realize, from his example, 
how the cooperation of all men and women, no matter what 
their particular occupation may be, is necessary for the 
democracy of the future. We in this country must learn 
lessons from the revelation of world conditions and of 
national ambitions and prejudices. These lessons require 
us to know the facts. We must depend upon the scholarly 
investigations of such men as Doctor Dutton to lead 
where, from our confidence in their mind and spirit, we 
may safely follow. For the type of men engaged in the 
training of boys and girls into true men and women, the 
type to which our friend belongs, as disclosed through 
his life, we shall be more and more indebted to Columbia 
University and Teachers College with its Horace Mann 
School, and to the fine souls who labor to make them pos- 
sible and to make his work fruitful in a goodly place." 

The quartet then sang the hymn "O God, our help in 
ages past." 

Rev. John Calvin Goddaud of Salisbury, Conn., a 
classmate of Dr. Dutton in Yale College, spoke as follows : 

"Mr. Chairman, and friends of Samuel Train Dutton: 
I am not come to gild refined gold, or to paint the lily, 
after all that has been said, but to add the simple tribute 
of a classmate, who knew him familiarly and heartily as 
Sam Dutton. 

"It was in the year of grace, 1869, that there came to 
Yale from the fastnesses of Hillsboro' Bridge, New Hamp- 
shire, a youth to fortune and to fame unknown. He did 



240 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

not shine on the altitudes of scholarship; he was not a 
Ben Jonson to set the table in a roar. Indeed his sober 
demeanor reminds one of what Tocqueville said to young 
Sumner, *Life is neither pain nor pleasure; it is serious 
business.' We got that impression of Sam's attitude 
toward life. 

"Perhaps the most conspicuous feature of the lad was 
his voice. It easily lent itself to college glees, while its 
force and correctness of pitch made him the ready leader 
of the cherubim and seraphim of 'Seventy-three, perched 
on the top rail of the famous three stranded fence. But 
his was not a case of vox et prcBterea nihil; he early dis- 
played a solid quality, which New Englanders call 'gump- 
tion.' It has been defined as sanctified common sense; it 
was more than that, it had in it the wisdom of the serpent 
and the harmlessness of the dove. King David had occa- 
sion to declare, 'O God, Thou knowest my foolishness'; 
but no intercessor would have made such an allusion to 
him. He never did a foolish thing. It was this which 
developed into his diplomacy, made him a statesman, gave 
him weight in the cabinets of nations. 

"His other great asset was his heart. Not that he wore 
it on the sleeve; he had always something of the granite 
hills and of the Puritan in his bearing. But his heart 
was a metropolis, took in races and religions without 
losing its elasticity. It was my privilege to know him in 
his own home, and to share rooms with him at our last re- 
union, at which time he brought up man after man with 
keen and affectionate interest, showing how large and how 
warm was the place occupied by Yale and 'Seventy-three. 

"There are two members of our beloved circle whom I 
associate in their original nature and in their ultimate 
career, Samuel Train Button and Hollis Burke Frissell, 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 241 

Principal of Hampton Institute. Neither of them had 
spectacular gifts, each of them was unobtrusive, did not 
strive nor cry, neither was his voice heard in the streets. 
But each attained influence for good beyond the measure- 
ments of arithmetic, the one national, the other planetary. 
Each lived up to the highest traditions of Yale in public 
service, nor do I know of any in all the annals of the 
college, who are more certain to receive that glorious 
plaudit, more impressive than eloquence, more rapturous 
than melody: ^Well done, good and faithful servant!' " 

Me. Clarence Bo wen, another member of Yale '73 : 
"Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen: Samuel Dutton 
didn't quite run away from the New Hampshire farm to 
enter Yale University but he almost did that. His father 
told him he did not feel that he should go to college — he 
ought to work on the farm. But Sam thought it was his 
duty to go to New Haven and he went. It was known 
by the class that he had come to college against his father's 
will, which many of us thought funny, but we all respected 
him for it. Sam Dutton attended the first prayer meet- 
ing of our class that we had in freshman year and he made 
a prayer in that meeting. I can see him in my mind's 
eye as I am talking to you now. I look into your faces 
and think of his classmate, the late H. Burke Frissell, 
whom Goddard has just referred to, sitting with Dutton 
on the college fence and both singing : 'Here's to good Old 
Yale' and other familiar college songs. Dutton and Fris- 
sell were both members of the Yale College Glee Club, 
which gave concerts in leading cities during the Christmas 
and spring vacations. Dutton's description of all that 
he had seen in the West while on these singing tours was 
always interesting. Dutton was rather awkwardly 
dressed when he first came to Yale, but he was respected 



242 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

by all his classmates and during his Senior year was as 
well dressed as any of his classmates. He loved music, 
the kind of music we have heard here this afternoon. 

"He attended Yale Commencement last June and took 
a pride in all that his classmates were doing. When 
Samuel J. Elder, the well-known lawyer and a striking 
after-dinner speaker, had delivered a notable address, 
Dutton would say on meeting one of his classmates in 
New York: 'Did you read Sam Elder's speech in Boston 
last week?' Dutton showed a genuine feeling of pride in 
what Elder was doing in Boston, in what Rev. Arthur 
Huntington Allen, who is here to-day, and in what Hart 
Lyman who succeeded Whitelaw Reid as editor of the 
Tribune, were doing in New York and in what other class- 
mates were doing in other cities. 

"All of Dutton's classmates feel a genuine grief in the 
death of one they loved so much, but they rejoice in the 
splendid work he has done, so fittingly outlined in the 
brief addresses to his memory you have this day heard." 

Mr. George A. Plimpton, of the World Peace Founda- 
tion: 

*'Mr. Chairman: It was my pleasure to meet Dr. Dut- 
ton first over forty years ago. He was then superin- 
tendent of schools in New Haven. When I called upon 
him, representing my firm, Ginn & Company, he was 
good enough to ask me to come out to Milford, where 
he lived, and spend the night ; so that I saw him not only 
at his work, but in his home surroundings. So great an 
impression did he make upon me as a strong and growing 
man that I said to my partner, Mr. Ginn, 'Dutton is a 
man we ought to have in our business.' Soon afterwards 
we asked him to come into the publishing house of Ginn 
& Company. He considered this for some time, but he 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 243 

finally said that he thought his profession was that of a 
teacher and he turned down our proposition. 

"I have often wondered since how much greater a suc- 
cess he might have been had he accepted our offer, but it 
seems to me that if any one of us had to his credit just a 
little of what has been recorded here to-day as the work 
of Dr. Button, he should be satisfied. He could safely 
say that he had made a good fight, that he had kept the 
faith. But Button was a man who was never satisfied 
with what he had accomplished ; he was always planning 
for the future and looking ahead. 

"Take, for instance, his work for Constantinople Col- 
lege, the great institution for girls located in the strategic 
city that, as time goes on, will probably become the great 
metropolis of the world. Br. Button became a trustee of 
Constantinople College some ten years ago. I think we 
both went on the Board at the same time. I happened 
to be Chairman of the Finance Committee and he became 
Treasurer, and those of you who know the inner workings 
of a struggling educational institution realize what such 
a job means. I think the average man would have said 
that Samuel T. Button would not make a strong treas- 
urer — his manner was too quiet; he was too modest; he 
was not aggressive. As a matter of fact, these very 
qualities aided him in his work. His sincerity, his belief 
in the good work that the college was doing, convinced 
the men and women whom he met of the necessity of help- 
ing it. A man of a more aggressive type could never have 
gotten hold of these people. A second part of his twofold 
service for Constantinople College was his selection of its 
teachers. He had a wonderful sense of the kind of women 
who should be chosen for its faculty. It was his duty to 
engage them, and they have been a rare lot of teachers. 



244 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Especially during the last four years have they rendered 
unusual service to the President, Dr. Patrick. All during 
the war there were from four to five hundred students at 
the college, and the influence that the teachers had over 
these girls is something remarkable. This wonderful band 
of teachers is due largely to the wisdom of Dr. Dutton. 

"He had great visions for Constantinople College; he 
believed in the institution. He had planned that in addi- 
tion to the College of Liberal Arts there should be another 
department. If he said it once, he said it many times: 
*We must have a Teachers College at Constantinople that 
will do for Turkey what the Teachers College of New 
York has done for the United States.' This is what he 
was working for, and had he lived ten years longer, I am 
sure he would have seen his ideas realized. Another branch 
of the work in Turkey in which he was greatly interested 
was the training of women physicians. Only a few days 
ago Dr. Hoover sailed for Constantinople. He is to work 
in connection with the Red Cross, but he is to be identified 
with Constantinople College for Women, and is to estab- 
lish a dispensary which we hope will grow into a hospital 
and be the nucleus of a medical college for women in 
Constantinople. 

"I think we all of us have reason to feel that our lives 
and the lives of our friends are richer largely in conse- 
quence of what Dr. Dutton has done, and what he has 
done is going to live — especially is it going to live in that 
country." 

Rev. George Hugh Smyth, of the Presbyterian 
Church at Hartsdale, N. Y. : 

"Mr. Chairman and Friends: I suppose that I am the 
one man on this platform who knew the late Dr. Dutton 
the fewest number of years. Although it was my mis- 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 245 

fortune to know him for only a short period of time, in 
that brief period I came to know him as a true friend 
and an inspiring companion. In the community where 
he lived and in the church to which he belonged, and 
wherein he was an honored elder, he will ever be sadly 
missed. 

"Since Dr. Dutton's death, I have often thought of 
those words of Jonathan to his friend David, 'To-morrow 
is the new moon and thou wilt be missed because thy seat 
will be empty.' Now what is any man missed for when 
for him, 'The shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, 
and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of his life is 
over, and his work is done and he is no more seen along 
earth's roadway'? And what will our own beloved friend 
be missed for? Dying Horace Greeley said, 'Fame is a 
vapor, riches take wings, popularity is an accident — 
those who cheer to-day will curse to-morrow — only one 
thing endures, character.' Ah! the friend, whose noble 
memory we cherish to-day, will be missed above all things 
for his noble character, at the coming of each new moon. 

"Now there are just two outstanding characteristics of 
Dr. Dutton's character about which I would speak to-day. 
The first is his gentleness. Truly could those scriptural 
words, 'Thy gentleness hath made me great,' apply to 
our friend. It was this gentleness that made him great, 
and caused him to do great things and to live greatly for 
God and for humanity. Shortly after Dr. Dutton moved 
to our town, meeting one of my parishioners, he asked me 
if I knew Dr. Dutton. I replied, 'Yes, I know him, and 
I rejoice that such a prominent educator has come to live 
among us.' My parishioner replied, 'Why, I rode up 
with him on the train the other night and had a most de- 



246 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

lightful conversation with him, but he never even hinted 
about who he was, or what he had done or was doing.' 

"My friends, it was this gentle modesty of character 
that endeared this great soul to all our hearts. In village 
and church affairs he asked for no prominent position, 
though these positions were time and again offered him. 
However, he preferred to give of his valued suggestions 
and remain himself in the background. His heart and 
interest were always manifest in church, in village, in 
state, in nation, and in the world around. 

"I love to think of his recognition and respect for 
people who crossed his path and were unknown Ho fortune 
and to fame.' While Dr. Dutton numbered among his 
closest friends men and women of international fame and 
of vast wealth, he also numbered among his friends people 
of whom the world at large never knew, and to these people 
he gave of his finest friendship and most inspiring influ- 
ence and encouraging help, always in the most gentle and 
modest manner. Again I say that it was our friend's 
gentleness of character that indeed made him great. 

"In the second place I would speak of Dr. Dutton's 
fine and fragrant friendliness. He was a great friend to 
a great many men. In Dr. John Watson's introduction 
in Henry Drummond's book, 'The Ideal Life,' Watson 
writes of Drummond: 'He had been in many places over 
the world and seen strange sights, and taken his share 
in various works, and, being the man he was, it came to 
pass of necessity that he had many friends. Some of 
them were street arabs, some were negroes, some were 
medical students, some were evangelists, some were scien- 
tists, some were theologians, some were nobles, and between 
each one and Drummond there was some affinity and each 
could tell his own story about his friend.' These words 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 247 

might have been written of Dr. Samuel Train Button. I 
remember some months ago attending a reception which he 
gave at his lovely home in Hartsdale to some Columbia 
College Japanese students, and I was especially impressed 
with this fact, that between the gracious host and his for- 
eign guests there was a peculiar and personal bond of sym- 
pathy. Dr. Dutton seemed to know each man and he was 
able to draw from each man the very best that was in 
him. He was a very real friend to those Japanese students 
far from their home, and those students were quick to 
recognize this fact. 

"Through Dr. Dutton's influence some years ago, five 
representative young Turks were sent to Columbia College 
to further their education and influence. A warm friend- 
ship sprang up between Dr. Dutton and these young men. 
When the war broke out and Dr. Dutton championed the 
cause of the Armenians, these young Turkish students 
began to cool off in their friendship for him. Again and 
again they refused his invitations to visit him. Dr. Dut- 
ton never resented this, but quietly went on his way, 
standing up for the principles of brotherhood and de- 
nouncing the enemy's cry that might made right. After 
the armistice was signed. Dr. Dutton invited his Turkish 
friends to a luncheon at the Yale Club. At that luncheon 
he frankly told them just what was his position, and 
that, had it been the other way round, and Turkey was 
being persecuted by Armenia, he would have championed 
Turkey's cause. Then looking those young men straight 
in the face he said, 'I hope and pray that on your return 
to your country you will all enter public life, for you 
young men of broad vision and education can be the 
saviors of your nation. Had there been such men as you 
in the public offices of your Government, the Armenians 



248 SAMUEL TRAIN DUTTON 

would never have been persecuted.' So he fired and won 
their hearts, and won back, too, their admiration and 
friendship. One of those students wrote to Mrs. Dutton 
upon hearing of Dr. Button's death, 'The peoples of the 
Near East needed him so much' — now mark you, not 'my 
people of the Near East needed him so much,' for this 
young Turk had caught Dr. Dutton's vision that day at 
the Yale Club, and the world for him, and his relationship 
to it, had a new meaning. 

"One day last winter a friend handed him a letter which 
he had received from a stranger miles away from New 
York City. The writer of this letter was a woman who 
said that as she had lived more than her allotted span of 
years on earth, and that as she had no one depending on 
her, she wanted to leave her small fortune of $25,000 to 
some worthy cause. Dr. Dutton, on receiving this letter, 
took a night train for the place where the woman lived, 
and by reason of his character and the fine friendliness 
of his spirit for all humanity, this woman made a will 
leaving her $25,000 to Dr. Dutton's beloved college in 
Constantinople. Later on she sent him her jewels, re- 
questing him to sell them, and, save for the $100.00 to be 
sent to her, the rest he was to use for the work of his 
college. 

"Not many weeks before his last illness came upon him, 
Dr. Dutton went away up into New England and there, 
by his fine friendship for humanity and his gracious spirit 
of asking help for humanity, he was able to win, for his 
Constantinople College work, the influence and help of the 
rich man he went to see. 

"Dr. Dutton's fine friendliness of soul made him see 
good in everybody, and seeing this good first above all 
else, he appealed to it first, last, and always, and there- 



THE MEMORIAL MEETING 249 

fore drew from everybody the good deep down in every- 
body's heart. 

'He is not dead ! Such souls can never die ! 

He breathes already a diviner air, 
And those external visions vast and fair 

Already stretched before his wondering eye. 

*He is not gone ! His presence still is nigh 

And lives within our hearts with holiest prayer, 

And sweetens all our lives like incense rare 

That floats in fragrance to the throne on high. 

'May we not mourn — we that have loved him so ? 

His hopes were ours, his triumphs were our pride 
And how we gloried in his strong heart's blood! 

'Yes, mourn, but know that God has loved him too. 

No less than we, and He is satisfied 
Before the vision of the face of God.' " 

The service closed with the hymn, "How firm a founda- 
tion," sung by the quartet. 



CHAPTER VI 

ADDITIONAL TEIBUTES FROM FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES 

Albert Shaw, editor the American Review of Reviews: 
A TEACHER AND LEADER 

"A PERIOD of upheaval in human affairs, while testing 
men and masses, throws into high relief the qualities of 
true leadership in individuals. As the generations grow 
in intelligence and in democratic equality, they are not so 
much swayed by personal authority at the hands of rulers, 
and they are less disposed to follow blindly the individual 
orator or demagogue, or the fanatical exponents of move- 
ments and creeds. With public opinion ruling in our 
relatively enlightened communities, personal leadership 
of the earlier types is so much less dominant that we 
seem at times to be inferior in the qualities which are sup- 
posed, traditionally, to mark the 'heroes' or 'representa- 
tive men' or personages worthy to be named in history. 

"In point of fact, there was never so great an oppor- 
tunity for the exercise of leadership as our own times 
afford. The more advanced the community, the more 
susceptible it is to the effort and influence of a leader 
who would carry it further in some aspect of social 
progress. The better attuned the instrument, the finer the 
results of the master hand that employs it. 
The Nature of Modern Leadership 

"In the clash of arms and the crises of states, there 
is so much discussion and controversy about leaders and 

250 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 251 

their capacities that we sometimes forget to analyze the 
nature of modern leadership. A man may be put in a 
place of high authority through the working of official 
systems, without having been a leader in previous experi- 
ence and without becoming one while in official power. 
The function of leadership becomes specialized and sub- 
divided. The real leader may be the private adviser or 
the obscure adjutant, and not the man who is nominally 
at the head. When future Americans look back with due 
perspective upon the present age, the foremost men of 
achievement and leadership may not bear the names of 
those about whom we are now reading most frequently in 
the newspapers. Individuals or groups working serenely 
and unselfishly in the fields of science, of education, of 
public health, of international good-will, may be placed 
at the very top of the list among the leaders of this gen- 
eration. 

"Leadership counts for most in these days when it 
works in association with tendencies, and does not there- 
fore stand out too conspicuously. Thus recent progress 
in aviation — owing much to one man and another who 
will in due time have just credit for leadership — has been 
amazingly accelerated because leadership was exerted 
where favoring opportunities were so numerous. An im- 
mense series of developments in the fields of invention, of 
engineering and of industry made leadership far more 
successful even though less noted. 
A Modest Type of Leader 

"The career of a worthy educator who died last month 
illustrates remarkably well the new kind of leadership 
that accomplishes great results without notoriety, and 
with honor and esteem but without popular acclaim. Pro- 
fessor Samuel T. Button was a leader in education and 



252 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

philanthropy. He was not a challenging and bitter- 
tongued reformer, although he saw what was wrong in 
human relations with clearness, and had unfaltering cour- 
age in standing for justice. But it was not so much his 
mission to lead crusades, or to demand bold innovations, 
as to cooperate tactfully with wholesome tendencies of 
sound human progress, and help to construct the better 
order along with everybody else who was facing in the 
right direction. 

"To some readers this characterization may seem quite 
negative, if not commonplace and vague, when one seeks 
for 'upstanding* heroes of another mold. Why, in these 
days when 'current history' asserts itself in spectacular 
ways, should space be given to recording the qualities of 
a quiet, self-effacing educator, rather than to some other 
man whose recent death has been announced in large head- 
lines? It is indeed quite possible that the man whose 
death is noted by millions or hundreds of millions may 
have been a true and typical leader, as well as a man of 
contemporary fame. This may be said in the most em- 
phatic way of the late Theodore Roosevelt, whose power 
for almost forty years to influence and lead his fellow 
citizens lay in his being so essentially an embodiment of 
American qualities, and so fearless in supporting the 
things he believed in. The qualities of leadership were 
always present in Mr. Roosevelt, and their exercise did 
not await the political accidents which placed him in high 
office. No one was keener than Mr. Roosevelt to recognize 
the intrinsic qualities of leadership in all useful spheres 
of activity, and to distinguish between the genuine leader 
and the spurious, or between a worthy fame and an acci- 
dental notoriety. 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 253 

Human Contacts as a Teacher 

"Professor Dutton was born, some seventy years ago, 
on a New Hampshire farm and had the heritage of a 
worthy and hard-working New England family. By his 
own efforts, he went through the preparatory academy 
and through Yale College, graduating when he was two or 
three years older than his classmates who had not been 
obliged to make their own way. But this relative maturity 
as a student was doubtless to his advantage. He was 
able at once to secure a good position as a school super- 
intendent, and after a few years was called back to the 
university town, where he became first the head of a gram- 
mar school and then Superintendent of Education for the 
City of New Haven. After some years in the pleasant 
environment of his Alma Mater, his professional work 
led him to that select part of Boston known as Brookline, 
where he had further opportunity to express, in fine re- 
sults, his conception of what a public school system ought 
to be. 

"Almost twenty years ago he was brought to New York 
by the authorities of Columbia University, in order that 
he might help to set the standards for the training of 
teachers and the direction of schools. He became a pro- 
fessor in Columbia, the chief of the School Administra- 
tion Department in the Teachers College, and the organ- 
izing head of what soon became the most famous of Amer- 
ican establishments for the education of children, namely, 
the Horace Mann School, which is an adjunct of the 
Teachers College. During these two opening decades of 
the twentieth century, Morningside Heights in New York 
City has been our foremost center of experiment and in- 
fluence in the training of professional teachers. Its in- 



254 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

fluences have been world-wide and its policies have been 
shaping human progress. 

"Professor Button had, through text-books and per- 
sonal addresses, become widely influential among American 
educators before his work at Teachers College began. 
This influence was greatly extended by reason of the op- 
portunities afl*orded him in New York to help in the pro- 
fessional instruction of student teachers from all parts 
of the United States and from almost every foreign 
country. Since 1915 he had been Professor Emeritus, and 
being relieved of his active duties in Teachers College and 
as principal of the Horace Mann School, he had found 
opportunity to devote himself to various public enter- 
prises, wholly in the spirit of what had been the work 
of his entire career. It would take half a page to list 
even briefly the activities that he aided. 

"He was a profound believer in the quiet growth of 
human society through educational processes. The tech- 
nical phases of school organization and management never 
obscured his vision of the broad social objects of educa- 
tion. His sympathies followed the teachers he helped to 
train as they went everywhere to act as social leaders. 
He found time for occasional visits to Europe and Asia, 
and never went anywhere without making some real and 
lasting contribution to the advancement of institutions 
for permanent culture. Thus he became a trustee of a 
college in China, and one of the principal officers and 
advisers of the American College for Women in Constan- 
tinople. 
Leadership through Harmony and Tact 

"Br. Button's was a rare talent for useful effort 
through organization. The marked success of his leader- 
ship lay in his ability to bring together people who were 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 255 

of like minds and sympathies, so that their united efforts 
might be effective. He was one of the most devoted of 
the leaders who have for a number of years past been 
trying to bring the best sentiment of America into union 
for the advancement of the cause of world peace. He 
was not merely a man of sentiment in his opposition to 
war, but he was a practical student of international 
affairs, with wide acquaintance and experience. He was 
the American member of an International Commission 
that visited Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Rumania, and 
Turkey in 1913, and reported upon the Balkan War with 
particular reference to current reports of atrocities and 
violations of international law. 

"During the war period he was one of the principal 
organizers of relief work, and an indefatigable leader in 
the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian relief, 
while aiding in the direction of other relief societies. His 
judgment was so valuable, and his spirit so harmonizing 
that his presence and help lent assurance to many a com- 
mittee. He knew how to get groups moving toward sub- 
stantial success in their aims, without seeming to dom- 
inate. He was gentle and unobtrusive, but always equal 
to the occasion. He was one of the principal founders 
of the World Court League, which has in recent weeks 
and months been doing much to unify the efforts of so- 
cieties which have had the common ideal of international 
justice and of the substitution of legal and political rem- 
edies for the disasters of war. Through his efforts as its 
most active member, the World Court League with affili- 
ated societies was brought into general accord with the 
League to Enforce Peace and other American agencies 
which have supported the general plans of the Paris Con- 
ference for a League of Nations. 



256 SAIVIUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"Professor Dutton had no thought of himself as a 
leader of men, much less as a citizen of distinction and 
eminence, widely recognized for character and achieve- 
ment. He was wholly free from vanity and self-conscious- 
ness. He could act with quick initiative, without timidity, 
but also without noise or demonstration. He had not 
merely the spirit to serve, but he was trained to serve 
capably. He had none of that false kind of modesty which 
some men of sensitive disposition cultivate as an excuse 
to themselves for dodging responsibilities. Dr. Dutton 
never shirked, but knew how to bear responsibility openly, 
without assertion. He was cheerful and companionable, 
with an unfailing sense of humor. It was a privilege to 
serve with so excellent a comrade. 
Opportunity of the Teaching Profession 

"In these times of change and unrest, it is well to look 
for firm foundations and for elements of stability. Our 
best hopes rest in such qualities of character as are ex- 
emplified in the personality and career of men like Samuel 
T. Dutton. More than ever, our American society is to 
be influenced and shaped by the schools. The teaching 
profession has increasing opportunities before it. The 
school takes on a fresh conception of its functions as re- 
gards the moral, physical, and economic, as well as the 
purely mental training of children. A man who, like Dr. 
Dutton, has been able to inspire teachers, is to be reckoned 
with when we are studying the new times in their relation 
to the past. 

"All teachers are underpaid and have many sacrifices 
to make. Every good citizen should do what he can to 
see that the teaching profession is better maintained. But, 
meanwhile, the teacher may find compensation in the op- 
portunities that lie around him for leadership and influ- 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 257 

ence, not merely in the school itself. The value of America 
to itself and to the world is to be found in the quality of 
its neighborhoods, small and large alike. All the great 
causes of the present day, the work and support of the 
Red Cross for example, would languish if there should 
fail the spirit of cooperation, under wise and intelligent 
leadership, in each of thousands of neighborhoods. 

"It is this kind of guidance and initiative that makes 
a country like America what it is, and that constitutes 
the difference between modern leadership for an intelligen€ 
democracy and that of former periods. It was once the 
fashion to tell every boy that he ought to be ambitious 
because he might some time become President of the 
United States. It is the wiser and better plan to teach 
every boy that he may be a useful citizen in his own 
community, and may contribute something towards the 
well-being of the country. Where there is willingness to 
serve, along with definite training, there will be no lack 
of fit leadership for whatever work the times may demand." 
— American Review of Reviews, April, 1919. 

George W. Kirchwey, LL.D., New York School of 
Social Work. 

"To the editor of the Evening Sun — Sir: 

"I trust that you will feel with me that Dr. Dutton's 
memory deserves a fuller recognition of his untiring public 
services than the press has accorded him. He was a sub- 
merged personality, so quiet in manner that his real 
strength and the importance of his service were not as 
widely appreciated as they deserve to be. 

"The passing of a brave soldier of humanity should be 
marked by something more than a bare recital of his 
interests and achievements. That Samuel Train Dutton 



258 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

was a real force, compounded of vision, sympathy, and 
resoluteness, is clearly indicated by the place he made 
for himself in the academic world as well as by the number 
and character of public and humanitarian interests with 
which he identified himself and to which he brought his 
genius for organization and his quiet but irresistible driv- 
ing power. Even in his school work he was never the 
mere pedagogue. Whether in New Haven, in Brookline, 
or at Columbia University, where he served successively as 
superintendent of schools, he saw his schools as an integral 
part of the larger life of the community and brought the 
community into closer relations with the educational work 
of the children. 

"When in 1915 Dr. Button retired from the professor- 
ship which he had for fifteen years held at Columbia, it 
was not to begin a wholly new career but to devote himself 
more completely and effectively to the wider social activi- 
ties which had established a claim on his interest. The 
number and variety of these activities as recorded in the 
press notices of his decease is distracting. But in no 
case were they perfunctory. He never lent his name with- 
out giving himself to a cause. 

"It is only those who knew Dr. Button well, either in 
his public or private relations, who became aware of the 
force that lay concealed in his quiet, gentle personality. 
'Without haste, without rest,' may be taken as the motto 
that governed his life. Cautious and conservative by 
temperament, he walked safely ; but, animated by a sym- 
pathetic and generous spirit that would not be denied, 
he went far in the service of humanity. 

"George W. Kirchwey. 
"New York, April 2, 1919." 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 259 

Rev. David S. Schaff, Yale '73, professor in Western 
Theological Seminary: 

"April 21, 1919, 

"737 Ridge Avenue, Pittsburgh. 

"My dear Mrs. Dutton: 

"May I let you know how very deeply I have been moved 
by the news of your husband's passing away from these 
surroundings of sense and sight? Sam Dutton — one of 
my close friends in college ! I have been looking at his 
photograph, taken just before the graduation of the class 
of 1878. There he is represented as so youthful, so much 
like a college boy, just as he was then with repose stamped 
on his face and good will and quiet but persistent purpose. 
Before writing this, I went downstairs and took up my 
large college album, in order to go back and greet my 
warm and close friend as we were in merry hopeful days, 
nearly fifty years ago. On the same page next to his is 
the face of John Heald, Sam's associate in the Glee Club, 
and beneath these two the faces of Boyce and Collins. 
All but Collins now gone to their heavenly reward ! 

"And as I saw Sam last spring in New Haven the old 
trim features of college days were still there. The changes 
of time had not altered the identity of the soul. He was 
the same person in all that makes for that which is worth 
having and being. And may we not rest assured that 
whatever changes the transition to our heavenly estate 
witnesses, our identity will remain! 

"What a man he was ! He did not cry aloud nor strive. 
He moved on steadily. Nothing could daunt him. Nothing 
closed for him the goal of life. Nothing drew him aside 
from the pathway of honest endeavor and with God's help 
doing the best one can. I honor his memory for that high 



260 SAMUEL TRAIN DUTTON 

example of living which he set from the day I had the 
opportunity of knowing him till the end. 

"All our professors and teachers are gone. Not one 
remains of those to whom we have been so indebted for 
these fifty years. And our ranks as classmen are being 
thinned very rapidly. It is easy to give way to a spirit 
of loneliness. But that will not do. As I grow older and 
look back, I deem it a signal cause of gratitude that I had 
the privilege of knowing such men as Sam Dutton and 
Burke Frissell, to mention only two among those who have 
gone before the rest of us. Both these men were more 
than friends. They lived lives which are patterns of 
noble purpose and useful and high endeavor. . . . 

"I am, very truly Sam's friend and yours 

"David S. Schaff." 

Rev. John P. Petees, Yale '73, rector of St. Michael's 
Church, New York City: 

"New York, March 30, 1919. 
"My dear Mrs. Dutton: 

"For almost half a century, since the autumn of 1869, 
I have known your husband. It has all come back to me. 
I have been living over my friendship with him. His 
beautiful voice! How well I remember his singing in col- 
lege days ! His cheery friendliness and readiness to do 
any kindness for any ! I remember some he did for me in 
those old college days. I remember him in South Norwalk. 
I remember you two living on Elm Street near college. 
Always pleasant memories. 

"He was just beginning to make his mark then. When 
he came to New York he had made it. And what a dis- 
tinguished career it has been, shedding beneficence always 
and in so many ways. It has been a noble life and a 
lovely life. Always the same sweet kindliness of nature. 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 261 

A Christian gentleman. I thank God I have known him 
and had him as a friend. . . . 

"Faithfully and with sincere sympathy yours 

"John P. Peters." 

Miss Lillian E. Rogers : 

"Philadelphia, Pa., July 15, 1919. 
"Dear Mrs. Dutton : 

". . . To me the news brings a great sense of loss, 
as I know it must to hundreds of teachers all over the 
United States. What a friend he was to teachers every- 
where, and not to teachers alone, but to all who were 
struggling to make good in every line! I never knew 
anyone else with so rare a gift of sympathy for humanity. 
No one was too obscure for him to help upward and I 
am sure that volumes could be written of his wise assistance 
at the right moment with word and deed to those who 
needed help. He had the rare talent for finding the best 
in each one and, having discovered it, to urge it on to 
better still. I shall never forget that my own progress 
in teaching was helped forward at every point by his 
wise counsel and I shall acutely miss the pleasant talks 
we had whenever I went to him in search of advice. 
So good and wise a spirit is still about the Father's busi- 
ness and we shall see him again, but in the meantime we 
keenly feel the world to be poorer while Heaven is richer. 
With deepest sympathy and affection, 

'Yours 
"Lillian E. Rogers." 

Mr. Dutton regarded Miss Rogers as one of his best 
teachers in the Brookline schools, and brought her after- 
wards to the Horace Mann School. 

Miss Helen Losanitch, a principal worker in the 



262 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Serbian Relief Committee, now the Serbian Child Welfare 
Association (Miss Losanitch is now Mrs. John H. Froth- 
ingham) : 

"Belgrad, Serbia, 
"May 16, 1919. 
"My dear Mrs. Button : 

"There are a few days since the sad news of Br. But- 
ton's death has reached me. 

"I want so much to express my deep sympathies in your 
great loss and also tell you how much I am in thoughts 
with you. He certainly is a great loss to humanity and 
to many noble and philanthropic works he was doing, not 
thinking of himself and his health. 

"I always considered Br. Button as an old friend of 
mine, as he was the first American I had the pleasure of 
meeting when I landed in New York in 1915. 

"I could never forget how much he helped me in my 
work before I left America, and also have a very strong 
feeling, if Br. Button did not take up the work so ener- 
getically, that the interest in the work for Serbia would 
have entirely dropped. Thanks to Br. Button, we are 
to-day starting these homes for Serbian orphans, only I 
am sorry that he did not live long enough to see them little 
by little develop, and grow into a big institution. 
"Believe me, 

"Yours very sincerely, 
, ."Helen Losanitch." 

Br. Charles F. Thwing, president of Western Re- 
serve University, Cleveland, Ohio. 

"April 4, 1919. 

"My dear Br. Lynch : 

"My friends are passing over, and the passing of each 
quickens sympathy. 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 263 

"I am so sorry to hear of your father-in-law's going 
forth from us. He always seemed to me to dwell in an 
eternal youthfulness. Death never seemed to have any 
part or lot with him. From the first of our meeting, I 
have always been most happy in working with him, and 
in his friendship. He was one of the most gracious of 
gentlemen, one of the most highminded of patriots, and 
wisest of interpreters. 

"Believe me, 

"Ever yours, 

"Charles F. Thwing." 

Me. James F. Colby : 

"18 Louisburg Square, Boston, Mass., 

"January 12, 1921. 

"My acquaintance with Mr. Dutton began in New 
Haven as early as 1879 and soon ripened into friendship. 
The next year we united with a few other friends in form- 
ing a social club which, if I mistake not, first was sug- 
gested by him, and which was made up of collegiate and 
public-school instructors, junior manufacturers, and 
novices in the learned professions. Albeit this club, which 
is still active, has devoted itself from its beginning to the 
study and discussion of economic, political, and social 
questions, the relations of its members always have been 
so friendly and intimate that it has omitted to keep any 
formal records. A leaf from a faded letter, however, so 
refreshes my memory as to enable me to state that at one 
of our earliest meetings, held in my office in the Old Law 
Chambers, Mr. Dutton presented a most interesting paper 
entitled, 'New Ideas in Education,' in which he made a 
plea for some of the radical changes which then were 
beginning to be recognized as desirable, both in the sub- 
ject-matter and the method of education. 



264 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

"Mr. Dutton's removal from New Haven to Massachu- 
setts and my own to New Hampshire — ^both within five 
years after the formation of our club, unhappily prevented 
our meeting thereafter except for occasional brief visits 
in each other's home, or at public functions. The last of 
these occasions was at a meeting of the Constantinople 
College Association of Boston in December, 1918, where 
he presided with grace, dignity, and tact, and describing, 
as treasurer of the college, its crippled, but still beneficent 
service during the war, he made a persuasive appeal for 
help to enlarge its usefulness. In an adjoining room of 
the Art Club where this meeting was held, as the sun was 
setting, we had our last talk, during which he told me that 
the burden he was carrying must soon be lessened, and that 
he planned within a few months to set sail, with Mrs. 
Dutton, for a trip around the world, and then should re- 
tire from all active service. 

"In retrospect, it may be said of Mr. Dutton that he 
had talents and put them to good use, laying up oppor- 
tunities, to use the Scripture phrase, from youth, and 
seizing them upon proper occasion for his own advance- 
ment and for the benefit of others. His habit of industry, 
his administrative capacity, his native shrewdness, his 
sound practical judgment, and his tact, united to make 
him effective in whatever work he undertook. His high 
ideals were expressed in his choice of the career of a 
teacher and school administrator and in the great causes 
of philanthropy and international peace to which he de- 
voted the last years of his life. Surely he is entitled to 
that noble epitaph, 'He served well his day and gener- 
ation.' " 

The Right Rev. Edwin S. Lines, D.D., Bishop of 
Newark, N. J. : 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 265 

"The Bishop's House, 

"21 Washington Street, Newark, N. J., 

«T»T J Ti^ T "December 6, 1920. 

My dear Mr. Levermore: 

"I knew Mr. Dutton very well when we were in college. 
He graduated the year after me. Our friendship was con- 
tinued in New Haven where he was superintendent of the 
schools, and I was a rector. He always seemed to me to 
exhibit some of the best characteristics of New England 
character — steadiness, seriousness of purpose, and the 
desire to make the most out of his opportunities and his 
life. The foundation seemed to have been laid in the sim- 
plicity of a good New England home. The elements of a 
strong and useful character were in him and the making 
of a strong and useful man. He was amiable and friendly 
and established good friendships in the larger life of the 
college and of the world into which it opened. Living 
was for him serious business, but he had the saving grace 
of a sense of humor. He was a keen observer of what was 
going on in the world and was determined to have part 
in leadership in it. 

"He was enthusiastic in his calling as a teacher, inter- 
ested in the improvement of the schools, willing to learn, 
and quite able to teach his associates how to do better 
work. He was forward looking and receptive of new ideas, 
and able to impress them upon others. He put the em- 
phasis upon what was stable and strong and substantial 
in the work of education, not the slave of old methods but 
quite willing to try new things. His mind was active and 
his outlook was generous. Anyone who knew him in the 
early days knew that his character and purpose and 
thought about life were sure to make for him a large 
place, wherein he would do good work. 

"In New Haven he was associated with the thoughtful 



266 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

men who were interested in the best things, with a world- 
wide vision, and when he came to New York he soon estab- 
lished a relation with a like group of men who are inter- 
ested in good and large things. Of that larger develop- 
ment of his life and interests, others who were closely asso- 
ciated with him can speak more adequately than myself. 
I rejoice that he made his way to a place of large influence 
and usefulness in the greater world and found in it the 
fruition of the hopes of the earlier years. He used the 
opportunities which college brought him well, and so was 
ready for the opportunities which came in middle life. 

"I remember him with high regard and affection from 
the New Haven days in college and beyond. In 1887 to- 
gether we made our plans for our first visit to Europe, 
and while we both went many times afterwards, it was 
true for us that a man goes but once. There were many 
men and women on the Noordland whom we knew, and the 
experiences of that voyage were for us in after years 
more amusing than at the time. Sailing up the Scheldt 
of a Sunday forenoon and within an hour of landing, 
following a procession through the streets of Antwerp to 
a Jesuit Church, we had our first feeling of being in the 
old world, and it was never forgotten. The weeks which 
followed upon the Continent kept a large place in our 
remembrance. 

"I am glad that the record of his life and work is to be 
published and the story of his development and usefulness 
recalled to a great company of friends and made known 
to many others. He did the work of a good and strong 
man of high purpose, with a deep sense of consecration, 
and his work abides. 

"Sincerely yours, 

"Edwin S. Lines." 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 267 

Rev. De. Arthur J. Brown, Secretary of the Board 
of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the 
U. S. A. : 

"New York, March 29, 1919. 
"My dear Dr. Lynch : 

"I am quite overwhelmed this morning to learn of the 
death of Dr. Dutton. I have long loved him as a friend 
and respected and admired him as one of the great Chris- 
tian statesmen and leaders of our generation. He ac- 
complished remarkable things for humanity and for the 
Kingdom of God. It is not easy for me to think that we 
shall see his face no more, but what a heritage of blessing 
he has left to us all ! . 

"Affectionately yours, 

"Arthur J. Brown." 

The following resolutions of condolence and apprecia- 
tion were adopted by organizations with which Mr. Dutton 
was connected. 

American College for Girls at Constantinople: 
"New York City, May 22, 1919. 

^'Resolution Passed by the Trustees of the Amer- 
ican College for Girls at Constantinople in Turkey, 
upon the death of Samuel Train Dutton, LL.D. 

"By the death of Samuel Train Dutton on March 28, 
1919, The American College for Girls at Constantinople 
has suffered a grievous loss. 

"Of the many institutions and organizations with which 
his name is associated, none was closer to his heart and 
none received more unremitting thought and personal 
attention than Constantinople College. 

"As Trustee and Treasurer he rendered invaluable 
service, especially during the last few trying years when 



268 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

it seemed at times that the fate of the College was 
trembling in the balance. 

"To his pedagogical, financial and administrative 
statesmanship, the College owes a debt it can never repay. 

"His death removed a learned educator, a great inter- 
nationalist, a patriotic American, and a Christian 
gentleman. 

"Resolved, therefore, that we, the Trustees of Constan- 
tinople College record our profound sorrow in the death 
of our associate and friend, and that a copy thereof be 
transmitted to his family. 

"A true copy. 

"Attest: Samuel C. Darling, Secretary." 

By unanimous vote the following tribute to the late 
Dr. Samuel T. Dutton was passed at the Annual Meeting 
of the Massachusetts Branch of the Constantinople Col- 
lege for Girls, held at the house of Mrs. William Caleb 
Loring, Boston, on May 2, 1919. 

"Samuel Train Dutton, born an educator, because born 
with a sense of the brotherhood of mankind, the com- 
munity of the mind, has left uncompleted the last of his 
numerous educational undertakings. Though nominally 
retired from his profession, he put into the service of the 
Constantinople College for Girls all the eagerness of 
youth, the vigor of full manhood, and the experience of 
age. In his latter days he was doing the best work of his 
life — a constructive work which will live ages after our 
time. Constantinople College owes to him the sincerest 
and tenderest interest, the loftiest expectation of the 
future, and a shrewd and farseeing attention to the duties 
of the present. His bearing was gracious, his friendship 
firm and serene, his confidence in the triumph of the right 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 269 

absolute. Others lose a husband, a father, a teacher, a 
colleague. We of Constantinople College lose a guide, a 
coadjutor, a loving spirit, whose influence will be felt long 
after we have passed away. 

(Signed) "Albert Bushnell Hart, 
"Professor of Government, Harvard University." 

It was voted that one copy of this tribute be sent to 
Dr. Dutton's family, and one copy to Dr. Mary Mills 
Patrick, President of Constantinople College for Girls. 

Trustees of the Canton Christian College: 

"New York City, April 12, 1919. 

"My dear Mrs. Dutton : 

"At the opening of the meeting of our Board of Trus- 
tees yesterday the following action was taken regarding 
the death of our late colleague and friend Dr. Dutton: 

" 'Memorial Minute on Samuel Train Dutton, LL.D. 

" *In view of the sudden death of our fellow Trustee and 
Vice-President of our Board, Samuel Train Dutton, the 
Trustees of the Canton Christian College record their 
deep sense of loss at his removal from their fellowship in 
work for the College in China, and his high service for 
the Chinese people. His long experience as an educator, 
and his complete consecration as a Christian gentleman, 
fitted him to be of unusual service at this period of China's 
transition from its old traditional forms of religion and 
education, and of social and political organization, 
to those founded upon vital religion and modern 
methods. 

" *At the time of his death he was Vice-Chairman of 
the Executive Committee of the American Committee for 



270 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Armenian and Syrian Relief, Treasurer of the Constan- 
tinople College for Women, and Vice-President of the 
Trustees of the Canton Christian College; also Chairman 
of its Executive Committee. He was also Chairman of 
its Committee on New Trustees and had constantly in 
mind the best men to secure who would give the work in 
hand the largest support and highest standards. His 
gentleness and suavity made him great in persuasion and 
in keeping all actions of the Board in consonance with the 
spirit of Christ. 

" 'The Trustees desire to express their profound sym- 
pathy to his wife and children and instruct the Secretary 
to forward a copy of these Minutes to Mrs. Button, who 
was his partner in thought and deed.' 
"Very sincerely, 

"W. Henry Grant, 

"Secretary of Trustees, Canton Christian College." 
American Committee for Armenian and Syrian 

Relief : 

"New York, May 14, 1919. 
"My dear Mrs. Button: 

"At a meeting to-day of the American Committee for 
Relief in the Near East we were requested on behalf of 
the Committee to express to you and to the members of 
your family our deep sympathy with you all in the death 
of Br. Button. 

"This letter paper indicates the conspicuous place 
which Br. Button took in the administration of the im- 
portant work of this Committee, and to that work he 
gave the invaluable service of a long experience in Far 
Eastern affairs, a rare ability in executive matters, un- 
usual tact, wisdom, and broadmindedness for the handling 
of varied and complex questions, and above all a deep 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 271 

Insight into and devotion to the humanitarian and Chris- 
tian aspects of the Committee's operations. The Near 
East will always be largely indebted to Dr. Dutton. 

"But the prominence of Dr. Dutton in the conduct of 
this Committee's work is entirely inadequate to signify 
the large place which he held and holds in the hearts of 
all of us, his associates in this service. His death is a 
very real and personal loss to every one of us and we 
want you to know how thoroughly we appreciate what 
must be the great bereavement of you who, as members 
of his family, were closest to him. 

"We rejoice with you in all that Dr. Dutton's life has 
meant to this world and we believe that as a useful servant 
of God he is finding large means for usefulness in the 
world of light and joy beyond. 

"On behalf of all of Dr. Dutton's associates on this 
Committee we wish to express to you again our most 
heartfelt sympathy with you and his other loved ones in 
your bereavement. 

"Very sincerely yours, 

"F. W. MacCollum, 
"Wm. Jay Schieffemn, 
"George T. Scott." 

Relief Committee for Greeks of Asia Minor : 

"New York, April 5, 1919. 
"Mrs. Samuel T. Dutton, 

"c/o Dr. Frederick Lynch, Spuyten Duyvil, N. Y. 
"Dear Madam: 

"With the first opportunity, after hearing of the sud- 
den departure from this life of your esteemed husband, and 
our dear friend, the late Professor Dutton, the Executive 



272 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Body of our Committee met and placed on record the en- 
closed resolution. 

"In carrying out the points in this resolution, we desire 
to express our heartfelt sympathy to you at this hour of 
your bereavement, and pray that the Almighty give you 
the true consolation of His Spirit from above to help 
and strengthen you in your sorrow. 

"We would also express how highly we valued the priv- 
ilege to have Dr. Dutton as a fellow worker in securing 
the means of relief to innocent victims of the ravages of 
the late war in other lands, and how much we were bene- 
fited by his wise counsel and sound judgment. 

"Would that the memory of his inspiring life be a 
stimulus to the rest of us to render better services here- 
after to our fellowmen. 

"Respectfully yours, 

"Frank W. Jackson, Chairman. 
"J. P. Xenides, Secretary." 

"New York, April 4, 1919. 

"Whereas in the death of the late Professor Samuel 
T. Dutton, the Relief Committee for Greeks of Asia 
Minor sustain a great loss, and 

"Whereas the late Professor Dutton in the midst of 
his manifold connections with various benevolent organ- 
izations comprising many races and languages found time 
to take a deep interest in the cause of Greek Relief, and 

"Whereas he had been an ardent supporter and strong 
promoter of the work of this Committee as a regular 
member and a warm friend from its inception, and 

"Whereas he served as one of the main connecting 
links between the American Committee for Relief in the 
Near East and this Committee in pushing always and 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 273 

advocating and supporting the claims and needs of the 
Greek sufferers — 

"Be it hereby resolved that the Relief Committee for 
Greeks of Asia Minor hereby places on record its deep 
appreciation of the valuable services of the late Professor 
Button, and expresses its heartfelt regret at the loss, 
through death, of his wise counsels and strong support, 
and 

"Be it further resolved that a copy of this record along 
with an expression of sympathy on the part of this Com- 
mittee be sent to his widow, Mrs. S. T. Dutton. 

"Frank W. Jackson, Chairman. 
"J. P. Xenides, Secretary." 
The New Yokk Peace Society : 

The Executive Committee of the New York Peace So- 
ciety, at its meeting on April 9, 1919, adopted the fol- 
lowing minute : 

"The members of this Committee, in behalf of the Board 
of Directors and of all other officers and members of The 
New York Peace Society, hereby record the unfeigned 
sorrow and sense of bereavement with which they have 
learned that their colleague and friend, Dr. Samuel Train 
Dutton, has left this mortal life. 

"He was one of the Founders of this Society and, as its 
first Secretary, was largely responsible for its honorable 
activities and its rapid growth. Down to the day of 
his death he was active in its service as an honored and 
trusted officer. 

"To the promotion of peace on earth among men of 
good will he gave eager allegiance and unflagging support. 
With every important organization laboring to that end 
he identified himself, and achieved an international reputa- 
tion as a thoughtful student of racial relations, a wise 



274 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

adviser, a lover of justice and of the peace that is based 
on it, and a loyal American. 

"All his associates recognized in him a man of firm will 
and courage, singularly genial spirit and hopeful outlook, 
a citizen devoted to the best ideals of public service, and 
a Christian whose life was guided by an unshaken faith 
in the Eternal Goodness. 

"Resolved: That this expression of our affection and 
esteem for Dr. Dutton, and of our grief because we shall 
see him no more on earth, be inscribed upon our records, 
and that a copy thereof be transmitted to his family." 

This minute was also adopted in the same terms by the 
Directors of the League of Nations Union and by the 
officers of the World Court League, two organizations 
closely affiliated with the New York Peace Society. 

The American Peace Society: 

At the meeting of the Executive Committee of the 
American Peace Society, Washington, D. C, April 25, 
1919, they formally registered their sorrow at the death 
of Samuel T. Dutton, who for several years served as a 
representative of the Society in New York and New Jersey 
and as a Director of the Society. They also put on record 
their high appreciation of the service he had rendered to 
the cause of peace and international arbitration by his 
words and acts, as an official of the New York Peace So- 
ciety, of the National Arbitration Peace Congress, of the 
World's Court League, of the World Peace Foundation, 
and as a member of the International Commission on the 
Balkan War. They recognized while he lived, and they 
see even more clearly now, the high quality of his consecra- 
tion and the unusual combination of idealism with prac- 
tical organizing and administrative ability which he had, 
and which he put at the service of the cause of good will 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 275 

among men, whether he spoke as educator, journalist, 
trustee of important foundations, or as a working ad- 
ministrator. 

They wish to convey to his kindred and intimate circle 
of friends the keen sympathy which they feel for them, 
and take this formal method of doing so, at the same time 
wishing that it could be more informal and personal. 

The American-Scandinavian Foundation: 

"New York, June 5, 1919. 

**The Trustees of The American-Scandinavian Founda- 
tion hereby record their profound sorrow at the loss of 
their fellow trustee and friend, Samuel Train Dutton, who 
died March 28, 1919. 

"As a trustee Professor Dutton was especially qualified 
to serve the interest of the Foundation because of his 
eminence, experience, and expert knowledge both as an 
educator and an internationalist. In no small measure the 
Foundation owes its influence as a vital factor in Amer- 
ican-Scandinavian life to his wise counsel and loyal 
service. 

"An authority in his chosen profession, a lover of peace 
and justice, a true public servant, an affectionate friend, 
and a Christian gentleman, he left a permanent impression 
on his country and the world. 

"Resolved, therefore, that we his associates bear testi- 
mony to our regard and admiration for him and that we 
inscribe this expression of our esteem upon the minutes 
of the Foundation and order a copy to be transmitted to 
his family. 

"On behalf of the Board of Trustees, 

"Hamilton Holt, 
"Wm. H. Short." 



276 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

Japan Society: 

"New York, May 6, 1919. 

"In the death of Dr. Samuel T. Dutton, the Japan 
Society has lost an enthusiastic and devoted member, and 
the members of the Executive Committee, of which he 
was long a member, have been deprived of the companion- 
ship and aid of a zealous and faithful co-worker and hon- 
ored personal friend. 

"A man of broad sympathies, high ideals, and varied 
interests. Dr. Dutton became the friend of all good causes 
and an active worker in many fields of philanthropy. 

"Deeply interested in the relations of our country with 
other nations, and awake to the importance of the world 
problems growing out of political conditions in the Far 
East, Dr. Dutton keenly felt the vital need of the con- 
tinued maintenance of friendly relations between the 
United States and Japan, and welcomed the formation of 
the Japan Society as a serviceable and hopeful medium 
for the promotion of a mutual and appreciative under- 
standing between the peoples of the two countries. His 
active interest in the affairs of the Society, continued 
during many years, had remained unabated to the end. 
The members of the Executive Committee, recalling his 
faithful attendance at its meetings and conferences, and 
his ready help in promoting in every way the objects of 
the Society, feel deeply his departure from them and 
grieve over the loss of one who had in special measure 
endeared himself to them all. 

"The members of the Executive Committee extend to 
the family of Dr. Dutton their respectftd and sincere 
sympathy in their immeasurable bereavement." 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 277 

The Congregational Church Building Society: 

"New York, March 31, 1919. 
"My dear Dr. Lynch : 

"I wish to express to you my deep sorrow at seeing the 
notice of the death of Dr. Samuel T. Dutton. The tidings 
of his sudden passing from earth have given us all a shock 
and we feel sorely bereaved because of the loss of one whose 
life has been so crowded with usefulness and whose service 
to-day was of immense value. Dr. Dutton had won wide 
distinction in his long career as an educator, and since he 
laid aside that work has found still wider usefulness in the 
many philanthropic enterprises in which he has been so 
actively engaged. We can ill spare his cooperation in 
these times of reconstruction. It is delightful to think of 
his noble Christian manhood, his large ability, and the 
splendid spirit of self-sacrifice and devotion to the highest 
ideals which he manifested throughout his life. 

"I am requested to send through you an expression of 
sorrow and sympathy on behalf of the Directors of the 
Church Extension Boards of which he was a member. We 
had counted on his assistance in our work, which would 
have been of peculiar value because of his large knowledge 
and experience and his ripe judgment. May I ask you to 
convey to Mrs. Dutton and to your wife this expression 
of the great appreciation by the officers and Directors of 
these Boards of this esteemed and beloved co-worker, and 
of their deep sense of loss in his death. 

"With very cordial regards, I remain 
"Yours most truly, 

"Charles H. Richards." 



APPENDIX 

Mr, Button's More Important Publications 

1896 Education, XVI, 523, Training of College Graduates 

for Teachers. 
1896 Education, XVII, 12, 107, Modern Treatment of Crime. 

1896 Journal of Social Science, XXXIV, 52, and Educational 

Review, XII, 335, Relation of Education to Vocation. 

1897 Journal of Education, XLV, 191, The Brookline Edu- 

cation Society. 
1897 The Brookline Magazine, The Public Schools of 

Brookline: what they have tried to do (also in a 

pamphlet reprint). 
1897 Educational Review, XIII, 334, also Proceedings of 

the N. E. A., 1897, Correlation of Educational 

Forces. 

1897 School text books for the Morse Co., A spelling book, 

and a reading book (with Blanche E. Hazard), 
"Indians and Pioneers." 

1898 Education, XVIII, 587, Place and Function of the 

High School. 

1898 School reading book for the Morse Co., The Colonies 

(with Helen Ainslie Smith). 

1899 Book, pub. by the Macmillan Co., pp. IX, 259, Social 

Phases of Education in the School and the Home. 
1899 The Coming Age (Boston), The New Education, a 

conversation with Samuel T. Button (also in a 

pamphlet reprint). 
1899 The Coming Age (Boston), The Brookline Education 

Society (also in a pamphlet reprint). 
1901 Educational Review, XXI, 17, Educational Resources 

of the Community. 

278 



TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS 279 

1901 Columbia University Quarterly, III, 242, The New 

Horace Mann School, 
1903 Book, pub. by Charles Scribner's Sons, pp. XV, 278, 

School Management. 

1905 School reading-books, pub. by American Book Co., 

The World at Work Series: 1: "Hunting and Fish- 
ing" (collab. of Maude Barrows Button and Sarah 
M. Mott). 2: In "Fields and Pasture" (collab. of 
Maude Barrows Button). 

1906 Educational Review, XXXI, 306, International Confer- 

ences of Education and the Berne Conference. 

1907 Paper read before American Institute of Instruction, 

Educational Efforts for International Peace. 

1908 The Independent, LXIV, 706, A Missing Factor in the 

Peace Movement (also in a pamphlet reprint). 

1908 Book in collaboration with Bavid Snedden, pub. by the 

Macraillan Co., pp. 600, Administration of Public 
Education in the United States, 

1909 Annual Report of Lake Mohonk Conference on Arbi- 

tration, The Better Organization of the Peace 
Movement. 

1910 Atlantic Educational Journal (Baltimore), The Peace 

Movement in Its Simplest Terms. 

1911 Journal of Race Development (Clark University), I, 

340, American Education in the Turkish Empire. 

1912 School reading-book. Vol. Ill of World at Work Series, 

pub. by American Book Co., "Trading and Explor- 
ing" (collab. of Maude Button Lynch and Agnes V, 
Luther). 

1913 The Independent, LXXIV, 183, The Federation of 

Peace, a Proposal for an American Peace Building. 

1914 Educational Reviexv, XLVII, 57, The Investigation of 

School Systems. 
Mr, Button's annual reports as city superintendent of 
schools in New Haven, 1881-1890, and as superintendent of 
schools in Brookline, 1890-1900, were never mere compilations 



1 



280 SAMUEL TRAIN BUTTON 

of statistical information. He put into them his best thought, 
the fruit of his experience. Contemporary school men read 
them for their suggestions, and even now their value is more 
than historical. 

The larger number of his contributions to the periodical 
press are to be found chiefly in the files of the journals with 
which he was connected in an editorial capacity, in Christian 
Work, from 1913 to 1919, and in the Peace Forum (later The 
World Court and finally The League of Nations Magazine) 
during the same years. 



